Easy, Eco-Friendly Ways to Put Those 21 Extra Hours of Evening Daylight to Good Use This Spring

MOORESVILLE, N.C., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- This Sunday, Americans will spring forward three weeks early, gaining an extra 21 hours of evening daylight. Since energy conservation is the driving force for the early time change, Lowe's is encouraging homeowners to utilize these hours wisely with some simple, green projects that would make Mother Nature smile.

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"Making changes to conserve energy around the home actually takes less time than you might think," said Michael Chenard, director of environmental affairs at Lowe's. "It's often small projects the entire family will enjoy tackling together and with 21 extra hours of evening daylight, it's hard to find an excuse not to."

Here are some affordable projects that every homeowner can tackle in one hour or less:

    -- Install a dimmer switch -- the bathroom is a great place in the home
       that many people forget about when it comes to installing dimmer
       switches. Who likes bright light in the morning, anyway? Dimming lights
       can save big on electricity bills.

    -- Prep the lawn and garden beds for spring with all-organic products,
       such as Miracle Gro(R) Organic Choice Lawn Fertilizer (#40582, $17.97).

    -- Install solar powered landscape lights such as the Malibu 6-Light Tier
       Solar Light Kit (#100229, $19.98).

    -- Attack unsightly weeds Old Man Winter left behind with Woodstream's
       organic Weed Prevention Plus (#193811, $9.97).

    -- Install an ENERGY STAR approved ceiling fan, which uses up to 75
       percent less energy.

    -- Replace the thermostat with a programmable one and enjoy up to 33
       percent year-round energy cost savings.

    -- Design a new outdoor living space using Trex(R) decking available now
       at Lowe's, which is made out of post-consumer recycled materials and
       does not require preservative treatments or sealing. Visit
       www.lowes.com/decks to begin designing your deck today.

    -- Replace standard light bulbs with compact florescent ones -- it's an
       easy way the entire family can help save energy.

    -- Add a fresh coat of Olympic Premium Interior Paint (Latex Flat, #52839,
       $16.92 a gallon). It has no VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which
       can be harmful to both your health and the environment's. Or, try
       Valspar's line of Signature Interior Paint which is has low VOCs
       ($28.98 a gallon) and features Martha Stewart's all-new color palette
       available this spring exclusively at Lowe's.

    -- Get a jump start on spring cleaning. Spend an hour each day cleaning
       and organizing the garage. Mop the floor with Simple Green(R) All
       Purpose Cleaner (#214388, $9.46), which is non-toxic and biodegradable
       or Method cleaning products, which are also eco-friendly and now
       available at Lowe's.

    -- Tackle mowing and save on CO2 emissions by purchasing an electric mower
       for trimming the lawn this year. Check out Black & Decker's(R) 12-Amp
       Lawn Hog Electric Push Mower (#147398, $229).

    -- Replace single-pane windows with ENERGY STAR qualified models to keep
       cooling costs down this spring and summer.

Visit your local Lowe's or lowes.com for necessary tools and more eco- friendly ideas for the home this spring.

About Lowe's:

With fiscal year 2006 sales of $46.9 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE(R) 50 company that serves approximately 13 million customers a week at more than 1,375 home improvement stores in 49 states. Based in Mooresville, N.C., the 60-year old company is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.