BGE Smart Energy Savers Program® Illuminates Historic Washington Monument with 16,000 Energy Efficient LED Lights for the 43rd Annual Holiday Lighting

These LED bulbs burn brighter, last longer and use up to 90 percent less energy than previously used incandescent light bulbs

BALTIMORE (Dec. 4, 2014) – As an anticipated 5,000 spectators prepare to attend this evening’s 43rd Annual Holiday Lighting of Baltimore’s historic Washington Monument, the official kick off of the holiday season in Baltimore, they can expect to see the Monument lit by more than 16,000, brightly shining, Light Emitting Diodes (LED) energy efficient lights, donated by the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program® in support of the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act. Located in Baltimore City’s Mt. Vernon neighborhood, this is the sixth consecutive year that the Monument will be lit by the energy-efficient lights, which were donated by the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program in 2009. These LED bulbs burn brighter, last longer and use up to 90 percent less energy than previously used incandescent light bulbs. In addition to the donation of the energy efficient lights that will illuminate the Monument, the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program has also donated the LED lights that will be used to decorate the vendor booths throughout the event’s Holiday Village.

"The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program provides smart energy solutions to all customers and BGE is proud to team up with the Downtown Partnership to continue our support again this year and provide the festive, energy-efficient holiday lights that have become an integral part of this great Baltimore tradition," said Calvin G. Butler Jr., chief executive officer, BGE. "The energy-efficient LED holiday lights that light up the historic Washington Monument have been a gift that keeps on giving year-after-year, helping Baltimore City save energy and money each time they are used. We are also pleased to be able to extend that gift by donating the LED holiday lights decorating the vendor booths in the Holiday Village during this spectacular annual lighting event. The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program will have a booth at the event, and we invite our customers to visit our booth to learn about ways they can save energy and money throughout the year."

For the holiday season, the Washington Monument will be illuminated by more than 16,000 LED lights on 84, sixty-five-foot strands. One strand of lights contains 200 LEDs and uses only 12 watts of electricity. By comparison, the 1,200 incandescent bulbs that were used in the past are similar in size to the appliance bulbs used inside refrigerators and typically consumed 40 watts each, or about 48,000 watts total. In comparison, the new energy efficient LED lights only consume 1,008 watts total.

Downtown Partnership of Baltimore hosts the Monument Lighting with support from the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks. Thursday evening’s Monument lighting event will feature a holiday village, with food and crafts vendors, on Mount Vernon’s

West Park starting at 5:30 p.m. Live entertainment will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the Monument will be lit shortly before 8:00 p.m., immediately followed by a fireworks finale. For more information on the 43rd Annual Holiday Lighting event, visit www.GoDowntownBaltimore.com.

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About Baltimore’s Washington Monument:
Baltimore’s Washington Monument was completed in November 1829 and was the first monument in the nation to honor our first president. Baltimore’s Washington Monument is the oldest in the country, predating the monument on the mall in Washington, DC by 56 years. The Monument is 178 feet tall and is made of three marble blocks, each weighing approximately 7 tons, and made out of white marble from Cockeysville (Baltimore County, Md.) quarries. The Mount Vernon Place Conservancy is currently undertaking a $5.5 million dollar restoration of the Washington Monument. For more information on the restoration efforts of the Washington Monument, visit the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy at mvpconservancy.org.
About the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program:
The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program is a suite of programs that enable all customers to control energy use, leading to more efficient use of electricity and lowering energy bills from where they otherwise would be. Collectively, the programs help contain the cost of energy and improve reliability. The programs also help to reduce peak demand and slow the growth in energy consumption to lessen the need for more power plants.

BGE offers a variety of energy saving solutions for renters, homeowners, large and small business customers, non-profits and institutional customers, including rebates and discounts such as on Home Performance with ENERGY STAR to improve the efficiency of a home and energy efficient lighting and appliances. To date, more than 18 million energy efficient lighting measures discounted under the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program have been purchased by customers throughout central Maryland.

The BGE Smart Energy Savers Program supports the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act’s goal of reducing both per capita energy consumption and per capita peak demand by 15 percent by the end of 2015. For more information, visit bgesmartenergy.com.
About the BGE:
BGE, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.2 million electric customers and more than 655,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,400 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with 2013 revenues of approximately $24.9 billion. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.