The New Hampshire State House is in the midst of a makeover. The state is replacing more than 1,000 incandescent light bulbs throughout the facility with energy efficient compact fluorescent lights. The switch is expected to save the state $9,000 on its annual lighting bill by using 75 percent less energy.

So, what took so long?

“Finding the right players,” says Kathy Brockett, an education outreach supervisor in the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. 

Representative Suzanne Harvey of Nashua initiated the changeover project when she learned of the “New Light Project” initiated by Paradigm Nouveau Enterprises, LLC, a Boulder, Colo., based company that’s donating the bulbs in an effort to transform every state capitol in the country.

“This company is donating bulbs. There’s no cost involved, so the state doesn’t have to provide up-front initial capital. And lighting technologies have been improving, so now there’s a compact fluorescent bulbs for almost every application,” Brockett says. Plus, she points out, change grinds slowly in Concord. “Now that it’s widely accepted, it can happen with lot of success, rather than being done hastily without everyone’s involvement.”

The donation of the light bulbs helps support Gov. John Lynch’s plan to reduce energy use in state government by 10 percent. The event also coincides with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star “Change a Light, Change the World” campaign. Brockett says they may look at installing similar bulbs in the legislative office buildings and, in the process, serve as a model for the average resident.

“In the United States, more than half of our electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants, or fossil fuel fired plants, which produce pollution. If we use less electricity, that means less need for power plants. We reduce the need to build more power plants and stabilize the amount of electricity we need,” Brockett explains.

According to www.EnergyStar.gov, if every American home-owner swapped the bulbs in just five high-use light fixtures for models that have earned the Energy Star, each family would save about $60 every year in energy costs. That might not sound like much, but the nation would save in sum about $6.5 billion each year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from more than eight million cars.

As part of the event, the state has organized displays and energy efficient light bulb sale events for state employees at various agencies.

For information on the State House lighting project and other ongoing state projects to reduce energy use, contact Gary O’Connell, State Energy Manager, at 603-271-2698 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  For information on activities related to the “Change a Light” campaign and how you can participate, contact Kathy Brockett at the N.H. Department of Environmental Services, 603-271-6284 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , or visit www.energystar.gov/changealight.