Get Free LED Light Bulbs from Duke Energy

Duke Energy offers North and South Carolina residents free LED light bulbs and other energy-saving products through their Home Energy House Call program. This program helps homeowners reduce their energy bills while making their homes more efficient and environmentally friendly.

What is Duke Energy’s Home Energy House Call Program?

Duke Energy’s Home Energy House Call is a free in-home assessment program available to all Duke Energy customers in North and South Carolina.

When you schedule a Home Energy House Call, a Duke Energy energy specialist will come to your home and:

• Evaluate your home’s energy efficiency
• Look for leaks, drafts, and other problem areas
• Check insulation levels
• Assess HVAC systems
• Examine appliances
• Test lighting

After the assessment, the specialist will recommend upgrades and repairs to improve your home’s performance. They will also educate you on ways to reduce energy waste day-to-day.

Best of all, they provide free energy-saving products like LED bulbs, power strips, low-flow showerheads, and more. Keep reading to learn more about the free light bulbs!

What Free LED Light Bulbs Do You Get?

When the energy specialist visits your home, they will provide you with a free Energy Efficiency Starter Kit containing useful products to help you start saving energy and money right away.

The kit contains the following lighting products:

• 6 LED light bulbs – Duke provides six 60-watt equivalent (9-10 watts actual) LED light bulbs. These bulbs put out the same light as a 60-watt incandescent, but use only 9-10 watts. This saves significant energy. The average LED lasts 10-15 years, compared to 1 year for incandescents.
• 1 LED night light – The kit includes one 7-watt LED night light bulb. This provides soft lighting at night while using a fraction of the energy of traditional night lights.
• 2 Light switch/outlet insulation seals – You get two foam seals that go behind light switches and outlets to prevent drafts. This helps stop conditioned air from escaping and saves energy.
• 1 Light timer – A programmable timer that plugs into an outlet and allows you to automatically turn lights on and off on a schedule. This saves electricity when you forget to turn lights off.
• 2 Power strips – Smart power strips allow you to completely cut power to electronics that are turned off or in standby mode. This prevents wasted energy from idle equipment.

In addition to lighting products, the starter kit contains faucet aerators, a low-flow showerhead, pipe insulation, and weather stripping – everything you need to kickstart your home’s energy efficiency.

How Much Do the LED Light Bulbs & Products Cost?

The Home Energy House Call and Energy Efficiency Starter Kit are 100% free for Duke Energy customers.

The in-home assessment and all recommended upgrades carry no cost. Duke Energy provides and installs the products in your starter kit at no charge.

The LED bulbs, power strips, timers, and other kit items are complimentary when the specialist visits your home. Everything is free – there are no strings attached!

This program is funded by Duke Energy and administered at no extra cost to customers. It’s one of the many ways Duke gives back to local communities and helps homeowners manage energy use and bills.

How Many Free Bulbs Can You Get?

Every Duke Energy household that schedules a Home Energy House Call can qualify for one free Energy Efficiency Starter Kit that includes six LED bulbs.

If you need additional bulbs, you may be able to get more through another Duke Energy program called Smart $aver. This program provides incentive rebates when you buy qualifying energy-efficient products.

For lighting, the Smart $aver rebates include:

• $1 off per LED bulb (limit 20 bulbs per year)
• $1 off per LED fixture (limit 10 fixtures per year)

So by combining your six free bulbs from the Home Energy House Call with Smart $aver rebates, you could get up to 26 discounted LED bulbs per year.

Every little bit helps when you’re trying to save on energy costs!

Do Businesses & Non-Profits Qualify for Free Bulbs?

Duke’s Home Energy House Call and Smart $aver programs are just for residential customers. Business and non-profit customers cannot receive the free in-home assessment or Energy Efficiency Starter Kit.

However, Duke does offer some energy efficiency programs for commercial customers to help offset upgrade costs:

• Smart $aver Prescriptive Program – Cash rebates for pre-approved equipment upgrades like lighting, HVAC, refrigeration, and motors.
• Smart $aver Custom Program – Rebates for custom equipment projects that save energy but don’t fit the Prescriptive program.
• Smart $aver Energy Assessments – Free evaluation of your facility’s energy efficiency potential.

So while businesses don’t qualify for Duke’s free bulb program, they do have options to reduce energy costs through efficiency upgrades. Check with your Duke Energy account manager for details on incentives.

Who is Eligible for Duke’s Free Bulb Program?

The Home Energy House Call program is available to all Duke Energy residential electric customers in North Carolina and South Carolina.

You must have an active account in your name to schedule an assessment and receive the Energy Efficiency Starter Kit. Unfortunately, renters cannot directly participate in the program.

However, renters can still benefit if their landlord takes advantage of the program for rental properties. Talk to your landlord about scheduling an energy assessment and installing free LEDs, power strips, and other energy savers provided in the starter kit.

Even if the kit goes to the owner, you’ll still enjoy lower energy bills from equipment upgrades. It’s a win-win for renters and landlords!

How Do You Schedule a Free Home Energy Assessment?

Booking a Home Energy House Call is easy and can be done online or by phone:

• Online – Visit the Home Energy House Call website and click “Schedule Now.” You will be prompted to log-in to your Duke Energy account to schedule an appointment.
• Phone – Call 1-877-372-8477 and speak with a representative to book your assessment. Make sure to have your Duke Energy account number handy.

When scheduling, you will be able to select your preferred date and time for the specialist visit. Appointments are available Monday through Saturday, 8am to 8pm.

The energy specialist will provide a two-hour window for the appointment to allow flexibility in their schedule. You don’t need to be home as long as they can access your indoor space.

After scheduling, you’ll receive a confirmation email with details about your assessment visit. Then get ready to start saving!

How Much Energy & Money Do LED Bulbs Save?

Upgrading to LEDs provides significant electricity and cost savings compared to traditional incandescent bulbs:

• LEDs use 50-90% less power than incandescents for the same light output. A 9-watt LED puts out the same light as a 60-watt old-school bulb.
• The average household dedicates about 5-10% of energy use to lighting. LEDs cut this lighting load in half or more.
• LEDs last 10-15 years compared to just 1 year for incandescents, saving replacement costs.
• Overall, switching entirely to LEDs can save the typical home $75 or more per year in energy costs.

In addition, because LEDs run cooler than other bulbs, they reduce HVAC costs in the summer. And their long lifespan saves labor expense of frequent bulb changes.

So even though LEDs have a higher upfront cost, their energy efficiency provides big long-term savings. Duke’s free LED giveaway helps you start saving immediately!

6 Tips to Save Even More with LED Light Bulbs

To maximize energy and cost savings from LEDs, follow these tips:

• Use them in high-usage fixtures – Prioritize LED replacement in fixtures that get used often, like kitchen ceiling lights. This will yield the most savings.
• Install lighting controls – Pair LEDs with occupancy sensors, timers, and dimmers for even more efficiency. Controls prevent lights staying on unnecessarily.
• Choose the right light color – Match the color temperature to the application. Cool white (5000K) works well in kitchens and baths. Warm white (2700K) provides cozy lighting in living rooms and bedrooms.
• Dispose of CFLs properly – Don’t throw fluorescent CFL bulbs in the trash. LEDs are the new energy-saving choice! Recycle old CFLs which contain mercury.
• Cut ambient lighting – For living areas, use lower wattage ambient bulbs combined with brighter task lighting where needed. This reduces overall lighting load.
• Use lights on timers – For outdoor lighting, put bulb son timers or photocells to automatically turn off during daylight hours when not needed.

Following these guidelines will help ensure you maximize efficiency and savings as you transition to LED lighting, especially