Tens of thousands of lightbulb moments in big Waikato LED giveaway
- silvereyecomms
- Mar 21
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 21
Waikato Times
Stephen Ward
The switch was flicked and the people turned on to new light bulbs in their
hundreds.
Waikato Genesis Energy customers are the first involved in the national
company’s popular new promotion giving away up to 47,000 energy-
saving LED lightbulbs locally.
The Genesis Waikato giveaway, in conjunction with Ecobulb, of up to five
light-emitting diode bulbs per customer started at Te Rapa racecourse and
the Ruakura Activate Church in Hamilton East on Friday. Five bulbs are
worth as much as $70 at retail prices.
The give away will carry on at the two sites on Saturday, and customers can
also collect free bulbs then from the Te Awamutu Events Centre and
Cambridge’s Raliegh St Christian Centre.
Waikato was the first region out of the blocks with a number of other
regions due to have similar promotions in coming weeks.
Up to 47,000 free LED bulbs are being given away by Genesis in the Waikato region, the first to take part in the promotion.
Doors were due to open at 9am at Te Rapa on Friday but Genesis staff said
people started showing up at 8.30am. There was a steady stream of mostly
older customers when the Waikato Times visited.
Mike Sorensen of Dinsdale was very happy with the five bulbs he picked up.
“It’s good timing actually. I’ve got two empty sockets at home.”
He already had an LED bulb in his lounge which went well, he said.
Besides the giveaway helping save on bulb costs, Genesis says use of the
five free bulbs could see power price savings of up to $970 in a household
over 10 years.
A steady stream of Genesis customers were pitching up at the Te Rapa racecourse to take advantage of the free LED lightbulbs giveaway. It’s due to carry on there on Saturday and at three other sites in Hamilton, Cambridge and Te Awamutu.
A Genesis marketing specialist Taachin Hakansson said the promotion was
in part about promoting efficient energy use.
“There’s a big difference in energy savings with these bulbs,” she said on
Friday.
The bulbs could last 50 times longer than older-style incandescent bulbs
and have a decades-long lifespan, a Genesis statement said.
The retail price of the LED bulbs could be as much as $14, meaning
potential customer savings of up to $70 through getting five free, Genesis
staff said.
Information had gone out beforehand to customers about the different
types of bulbs available at the giveaway so they would know the right free
ones to ask for, Hakansson said.
It was also estimated that Hamilton customers could collectively save up to
$1 million on their power bills over three years as a result of the giveaway.
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