Dear Source:
Judith Kane, thank you for your comments and suggestions in your December 8 letter to the V.I. Source. However, I wish to clarify just a few points. This is the first time that WAPA is participating in the "Change a Light, Change the World Campaign." Perhaps you are referring to a previous activity of the Virgin Islands Energy Office associated with Energy Awareness month in October. The Change a Light, Change the World Campaign is part of a national call to action by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that involves multiple energy-saving initiatives.
Our Change a Light give-away events in the territory, similar to those in many communities across the nation, are intended to raise awareness about the campaign, giving WAPA employees the opportunity to educate customers about the economic and environmental benefits of using compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Each WAPA customer will be able to pick up a bulb and lots of information, with or without a WAPA bill. Requesting the bill is for expediency in the customer distribution process. And after the events, bulbs will indeed be available at WAPA offices for convenient pick up by customers unable to attend.
Energy prices are a serious problem, and WAPA is genuinely interested in helping customers reduce their consumption and costs. We have invested almost $100,000 from our Demand Side Management Fund to purchase 60,000 ENERGY STAR-rated CFLs and distribute them to our customers. The energy cost savings that will result from the use of CFLs is significant, so we believe this is a good investment. And the benefits will immediately be passed on to our customers – when you replace one 60-Watt incandescent bulb with one 13-Watt CFL bulb, you can save $120 over the life of the bulb.
Again, thank you for your feedback. We hope to see you soon at a WAPA office to pick up your free CFL bulb. We hope that you will remain a part of the "choir" that believes in environmentally friendly practices.
Cassandra Dunn
WAPA
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
