Light Bulb Finder app named best for the environment by EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected the Light Bulb Finder mobile app as the “Winner, Best Overall App” in the Apps for the Environment Challenge. The Light Bulb Finder app enables users to easily switch from conventional incandescent to energy-efficient lighting at home. It is available as a free download on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android mobile devices.

Based on simple user inputs, the Light Bulb Finder app recommends energy-saving light bulbs with the right light quality, fit and style. It displays financial payback information and uses EPA’s eGRID data to calculate environmental impact when users replace incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient equivalents. Users can buy bulbs through the app or at local stores.

“Lighting accounts for over 14 per cent of home electricity consumption, so the potential for saving energy and reducing environmental impact is significant. The typical U.S. household can save over $120 per year on electricity by switching to energy-efficient lighting, but many homeowners are slow to switch because the choices can be overwhelming,” said Adam Borut, president and co-founder of Eco Hatchery, the company that created Light Bulb Finder.

Consumers have a lot of questions as the market is being flooded with new technologies such as Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs), Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and halogen incandescents.

“They are confronted with new measurements such as lumens and color temperature, and they are concerned about bulb and light quality, not to mention financial payback,” Borut said.

The Light Bulb Finder app cuts through the confusion and provides instant bulb recommendations for standard and specialty lighting with key financial payback information and carbon footprint information.

“Our goal in developing the app was to overcome the obstacles to action by giving users instant answers, enabling them to make decisions based on their own budget and priorities,” Borut added.

Eco Hatchery partners with utility companies and cities that use the app as a platform for raising consumer awareness of energy efficiency initiatives and resources. When using the app, users have direct access to information on energy-saving resources in their area, such as rebates, recycling services and whole house energy audits.