Do you have old or aging incandescent light bulbs still milling around in lamps and lighting fixtures in your home? Do you want to save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and save energy? If you are a Chester resident, the opportunity to do all this will be on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Chester Meeting House, where a light bulb swap and Energy Fair will take place.

Thanks to a $5,000 Bright Idea Grant that Chester earned for high residential participation in the Home Energy Solutions program, the town is able to host this event for free for all Chester residents with identification. Residents may bring up to five incandescent light bulbs, in any condition, and exchange them for new, energy-efficient LED bulbs, free of charge. Representatives from Eversource, Lantern Energy, and Connecticut Solar Challenge will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about further actions residents can take to save money by making their homes more energy efficient.

In addition, an array of LED energy saving products such as holiday lights, night lights, and specialty bulbs will be available for purchase at a discounted rate.

“Who could say, ‘No’ to five free light bulbs that will save money and energy?” asked Chester Energy Team Chairman Pat Woomer. “The savings for LED lights is tremendous over the long term.”

It is approximated that changing just five incandescent light bulbs to LED bulbs, in a residential home, will save the homeowner an average of at least $50 a year.

Energize CT has been assisting Chester’s energy saving efforts with information and support over the years.

“Chester earns grants by accomplishing goals and objectives, then uses the grants to further expand our efforts,” Woomer said. “The Energy Fair is evidence of the local benefits of these grants. Chester is committed to continuing to reduce energy consumption in homes, businesses, and municipal buildings and is working to earn additional grants to continue this process.”

Energize Connecticut is an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, the Clean Energy Finance & Investment Authority, the state, and local electric and gas utilities, with funding from a charge on customer energy bills.

“Community participation is critical to helping our town reach its energy goals,” said First Selectman Ed Meehan. “The support and enthusiasm our residents and energy committee have shown so far is inspiring. The Town of Chester is excited to have earned its first Bright Idea Grant and to use that grant to give residents a way to cut energy costs at home.”

With an end goal of becoming a sustainable energy community, Chester has developed a clean energy action plan with specific long term objectives to reduce energy consumption in homes and businesses throughout town. In 2013, Chester signed the Energize Connecticut Clean Energy Communities pledge to reduce municipal building energy consumption by 20 percent, attain 20 percent of municipal electricity needs from renewable sources, and take other actions to support the deployment of clean energy by 2018. To date, the Energy Team is in the final stages of completing a comprehensive technical evaluation of all municipal building energy consumption.

For more information on saving energy options, visit www.energizect.com or call 877-947-3873.