Prince George homeowners are welcome to drop off their old mercury-containing thermostats for safe disposal at Home Depot this weekend and receive instant rebates on new programmable models during a "Switch the Stat" campaign.
The old-style thermostats can contain up to 10 grams of mercury and it only takes one gram of mercury to contaminate an eight hectare lake, about the size of 15 football fields, to the point where fish are inedible for a whole year.
Installing a newer, programmable thermostat reduces power consumption, which translates into energy savings. Programmable thermostats can save consumers up to $180 a year on heating and cooling costs.
Home Depot will welcome exchanges from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
