Green News

June 1, 2007
TCP Inc., Aurora, Ohio, is increasing its production of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) by 23 percent to 800,000 CFLs per day in order to meet the heightened

TCP Inc., Aurora, Ohio, is increasing its production of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) by 23 percent to 800,000 CFLs per day in order to meet the heightened consumer demand. TCP manufactures 70 percent of the CFLs on the market through name brand, private label and other lighting manufacturers, including the n:vision line for The Home Depot. The company anticipates its production will jump to one million CFLs per day by the fourth quarter of 2007.

“For the first time since the invention of the light bulb, homeowners are changing a century-old buying habit of using incandescent light bulbs,” said Ellis Yan, CEO, TCP Inc. “More people are seeing the immediate benefits of making the switch to CFLs. We are committed to producing the highest quality energy efficient lighting products on the market that will reduce energy costs and benefit the environment.”

TCP's CFLs use 75 percent less energy and last an average 10 times longer than old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs, the company says. As a result, consumers can save from $30 to $108 over the life of the lamp and reduce their carbon-dioxide emissions by more than 450 pounds. TCP estimates the 800,000 CFLs it manufactures per day will account for a reduction of carbon dioxide by 180,000 tons every day or the equivalent of 360 million pounds of emissions from power plants.

A coalition of 16 of the world's biggest cities, five banks, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and companies and groups that modernize aging buildings last month pledged investments of billions of dollars to cut urban energy use and releases of heat-trapping gases linked to global warming, according to a recent article in The New York Times. Under a plan developed through the William J. Clinton Foundation, participating banks would provide up to $1 billion each in loans that cities or private landlords would use to upgrade heating, cooling and lighting systems in older buildings, according to the article. Typically, such upgrades can cut energy use and costs by 20 percent to 50 percent.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York said that investing in retrofitting existing buildings was vital because they would make up 85 percent of the buildings that will stand in New York City in 2030.