ARLETA : DWP Program Offers Help on Saving Electricity

An energy conservation program aimed at reducing the environmental and financial costs of building electric power plants was launched Thursday in Arleta, where 8,000 customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will be offered free energy-saving light bulbs and other help in trimming their utility bills.

The Arleta residents will join 32,000 other customers already served by the 10-month-old “Better Idea” program, part of the DWP’s increased commitment to energy conservation. At a news conference in Arleta, utility officials said the ultimate goal is to use conservation measures to offset about 600 megawatts of electric demand, the capacity of one good-sized power plant.

From Tuesday through mid-August, DWP representatives will fan out to the Arleta households to install compact fluorescent light bulbs, clean refrigerator coils and provide refrigerator temperature gauges and energy and water conservation literature. They also will install water-conservation devices, such as toilet dams and faucet flow restrictors.