PECO is encouraging customers to power down in celebration of Earth Hour, 8:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 28, and join millions across the world in this global effort. Earth Hour is the world’s largest annual voluntary environmental action event to raise awareness about climate change. PECO will power down its iconic LED Crown Lights system, but before “going dark” a special message will run from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. atop the company’s Main Office Building at 2301 Market St. in Philadelphia.

Message:

“We’re turning off our Crown Lights for Earth Hour 2015 tonight from 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Join us! Turn off your lights & save energy. Find more ways to save energy and money at www.peco.com/smartideas.”

In addition to turning off lights during Earth Hour, there are many simple things customers can do to save energy and money. For example:

  • Turn lights off when you leave a room.
  • Use a programmable thermostat.
  • Close blinds/shades/drapes in the summer and leave them open in the winter.
  • Use ceiling fans to circulate air.
  • During summer months, run appliances that produce heat (clothes dryers and dishwashers) at night when it is cooler.

And before customers turn their lights back on, it’s a great time to change out old energy-wasting incandescent light bulbs with new CFLs (compact fluorescent lamp) or LEDs (light emitting diode), which typically use about 75 percent less energy. CFLs also last about 10 times longer, while LEDs last about 25 times longer. With PECO Smart Lighting Discounts, customers can receive instant in-store discounts on select ENERGY STAR® certified CFLs and LEDs.

PECO Smart Ideas, our full suite of energy efficiency programs, has energy-saving products and programs to help save money in every home and business. For more ways on how to save energy visit peco.com/smartideas.

PECO’s sister utilities, BGE in Baltimore and ComEd in Chicago, also are participating in recognizing this global event.

Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE:EXC). PECO serves 1.6 million electric and more than 506,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania and employs about 2,400 people in the region. PECO delivered 89.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 37.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2014. Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations. For more information visit PECO.com, and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter.

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