Why Rock?
Energy-efficient lighting is a great “first step” toward
changing the way people think about using energy. The Rock the Bulb
campaign is a way to engage customers who may know that energy efficiency
can help them reduce their energy bills, but who haven’t done
much yet to decrease the energy they use at home. The campaign
gives customers an initial boost of changing out 10 incandescent bulbs
for CFL bulbs and then works to further engage and motivate the customers
to make additional energy efficiency upgrades.
How PSE Rocked the Bulb
The primary element of the campaign were weekend bulb exchange events
held at select Lowe’s and Ace Hardware stores throughout PSE’s
electric service area. These Rock the Bulb “Tour Stops” promoted
a fun, music festival-like atmosphere, with family-friendly energy-efficiency
games and activities, snacks, and heavy staffing by PSE’s Energy
Advisors. C+C partnered with grassroots non-profit Project Porchlight
to deliver over 275,000 free CFL bulbs to communities in PSE’s
electric service area, through door-to-door and community event outreach.
To get the word out, C+C promoted the campaign through a variety of
channels. Print advertising ran in community papers in each event city
in the week leading up to each event, and radio ads across PSE’s
service area raised awareness of the campaign events and the contest.
Zoned cable TV ads and targeted web advertising rounded out the advertising
side. Extensive media outreach efforts were conducted to build awareness
of the campaign, drive traffic to exchange events and recruit volunteers
for Project Porchlight. A kickoff media event garnered extensive coverage,
and ongoing outreach in each target city kept the momentum going. C+C
also incorporated social media into the campaign, with a successful “Golden
Bulb” promotion that was conducted primarily over twitter, Facebook
and blog postings.
The Rockin' Results
The campaign distributed 511,543 CFLs. 224,922 were exchanged for
incandescent bulbs at a Rock the Bulb event, and 286,621 were distributed
at community events and door-to-door. Almost 25,000 people attended
a Rock the Bulb event, 7,697 signed up for the “Be an Energy
Rock Star” contest and over 1,100 volunteered with Project Porchlight
to help distribute bubs door-to-door. Total energy savings are equal
to have saved a total of over 118 million kWh of electricity, over
$22 million saved on energy bills and avoided over 130 million pounds
of greenhouse gas emissions -- equivalent to taking over 10,700 cars
off the road.
