PHOTO (Above): picture of Cascades Cabin interior. Cascades has gifts for any occasion

PHOTO (Above): CFL flood light installed in Cascades Cabin; looks just like a regular flood light but uses only 15 watts instead of 65

"Awesome!" was Cascades Cabin owner Tallie Gray's reaction when told that she would save more than $700 per year in reduced electric costs. With energy costs on the rise, who wouldn't be pleased? Business and residential electric consumers across the country are doing exactly what Tallie did to save money and help the environment. You can do it too ... here's how:

Tallie spent $65 to replaced 38 of her existing light bulbs in her retail store in Winter Park's Cooper Creek Square with energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Estimated payback for this measure: one month. The savings added up quickly since 12 of the 38 lights were on 24 hours a day (the remaining 26 lights were on an average of 10 hours a day). Although the CFLs are as bright as the regular incandescent bulbs, they consume 70 percent less energy and last eight to ten times longer than a standard bulb. By retrofitting with CFLs, Tallie reduced her business' annual energy consumption by 10,231 kilowatt-hours per year (which costs $777.56 at current electric rates of $0.076 per kilowatt hour).

"There are still many businesses throughout MPEI's service territory that can significantly reduce operating costs by replacing inefficient lighting with CFLs," says MPEI's Marketing Director Rob Taylor. According to Taylor, most businesses will recover their investment cost for purchasing CFLs in three months or less, and most residential customers will recover their invesment cost in six months or less. "Mountain Parks Electric is offering these energy-saving bulbs at an unbelievable price; there is no more sticker shock for buying energy-efficient light bulbs," Taylor added. Taylor thinks that with future energy prices on the rise that most people can't afford not to buy CFLs.

Cascades Cabin business owner Tallie Gray was shocked to discover that MPEI's pricing on CFLs was significantly lower than Lowes and Home Depot. "It's too good of a deal to pass up," she said. Tallie is planning on replacing even more incandescent lighting in her store with CFLs to help reduce operating costs and combat the rising cost of energy. Cascades Cabin is also a partipating business in MPEI's Cooperative Connection Program.