FAQ's

What is the Energy Star?

Energy Star is a program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It identifies energy efficient products and services.

In 1992 the US Environmental Protection Agency introduced the Energy Star as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is now on over 50 product categories including major appliances, office equipment, lighting, and home electronics. The EPA has extended the label to cover new homes, commercial and industrial buildings.

What Does CFL Stand For?

CFL is an abbreviation for compact fluorescent lamp and is an energy efficient light bulb that uses 60% to 80% less electricity than a conventional lamp. It was originally developed by engineers at General Electric in the 1970's but was not commercially produced. It is now viewed as one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce energy consumption and the emission of green house gases.

What Time is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour starts at 8:30pm local time on the 28th of March in cities across the world. To obtain the maximum benefit of turning off the lights for one hour, cities need to do this when it is dark. For this reason Earth Hour is not synchronised but runs at 8:30pm local time in each city. This means that Earth Hour runs for a potential 24 hours as the time zones change across the globe. Cities with a very northerly latitude, such as Dublin, start Earth Hour at 9:30pm because the city is not fully dark at 8:30pm. The next Earth Hour is on Sunday, 28 March 2010.