With Christmas a few short weeks away, houses across Colorado Springs are sporting festive lights and creative decorations.

For the past three years, Colorado Springs Utilities has been helping customers who are willing to trade in their old bulbs for more cost-effective new ones, and this year is no different. Until Dec. 24, customers can trade in strands of old lights for a $5-off coupon that will get them LED lights at local Ace Hardware stores.

“We have exchanged about 560 strands so far this year,” said Doug Bursnall, the senior conservation specialist. “Currently, we think we have enough for another 4,000 lights.”

Why bother? “Generally, they (LEDs) will use about 90 percent less energy,” says Bursnall.

After recycling the old lights, “the money we earn goes into Project COPE, for people that need help paying utilities during the winter,” says Bursnall. Last year Utilities raised $1,300 for Project Cope.

To trade in your old lights, head to the Conservation and Environmental Center at 2855 Mesa Road.

This Feb. 11, 2013 photo shows peppers, who are among the most forgiving plants in the garden, at Pike Place Market in Seattle. People new to gardening can increase their odds for success by shopping for easy-to-grow plants such as peppers. Choose the right plants for the right place and then get them in the ground at the right time. (AP Photo/Dean Fosdick)

Dean Fosdick