On October 11, 2006, residents of Villa Excelsior in Providence learned how to save money on utility bills when the HUD New England Regional Director and the Regional Administrator from the Environmental Protection agency visited the apartment complex as part of the ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World campaign.

Residents of Villa Excelsior, a HUD-subsidized housing development in Providence, take the pledge to become more energy efficient.

The objective of the Change a Light, Change the World campaign is to promote energy efficiency and conservation throughout America.  The emphasis is to change from an incandescent light bulb to an ENERGY STAR labeled light bulb, thereby conserving energy, becoming more energy efficient as a nation, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Villa Excelsior is a HUD-subsidized housing development that consists of 76 units for low-income families.  HUD will be working with all of the federally subsidized housing developments throughout New England (more than 3,000 units of low-income housing) to encourage energy efficiency.  Every resident who "took the pledge" to become more energy efficient received a free lightbulb.

"Because utility bills are the second largest household expense for most Americans, housing affordability and energy efficiency go hand in hand," said Taylor Caswell, HUD Regional Director.  "When we reduce utility bills, we reduce the cost of living for low- and moderate-income families."

Changing the world starts with simple actions. When light bulbs or entire light fixtures are replaced with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR label, consumers are helping to preserve energy resources and contribute to a cleaner environment while saving money and time buying and changing lights in their home.  If every U.S. household replaces just one incandescent light bulb at home with one that earned the ENERGY STAR label, the country will save $600 million in energy bills, save enough energy to light seven million homes, and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to one million cars.

ENERGY STAR qualified lighting provides bright, warm light while it requires two-thirds less energy than standard lighting, generates 70 percent less heat, and lasts up to 10 times longer. ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures are available in hundreds of popular styles, including portable fixtures - such as table, desk, floor and torchiere lamps-and hard-wired fixtures such as outdoor, cabinet, suspended, ceiling-mount, recessed, wall-mount, and ceiling fans.