Worcester, Mass., —September 19, 2001—bulbs.com, a privately held e-commerce light bulb supplier, and Narragansett Electric Company today announced that customers of the utility who purchased Energy Star® light bulbs at a significant discount under a special offer that began in July 2001 could collectively save approximately $980,000 in electricity savings over the four-year life of the bulbs.

Since July, more than 14,000, 20-watt Energy Star® energy-efficient light bulbs have been purchased. Narragansett Electric’s residential customers who purchased the energy efficient bulbs could save an estimated 7.7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity over the life of the bulbs – enough electricity to power 1,280 homes for one year.

Narragansett Electric first teamed with bulbs.com in October 2000 to offer the utility’s residential customers in 38 Rhode Island communities six Energy Star® energy efficient light bulbs for $14.95, a cost that reflects an instant rebate of $30.00. In July 2001, the companies again extended the offer, which is available through October 2001.

"We are pleased that so many of our customers have participated in this special program. Our residential customers have benefited from saving $30.00 on the spot and in their electric bills once the bulbs are installed," said Cheryl LaFleur, president and chief executive officer of the Narragansett Electric Company. "This a great deal for our customers, the communities we serve, and the environment. Further, our alliance with bulbs.com allows our customers to participate in a rebate program using the convenience of the Internet."

"We are very pleased that a leading company like Narragansett Electric Company has selected bulbs.com as one of its e-commerce partners," said Steven Rothschild, chief executive officer of bulbs.com. "By offering this rebate offer online, Narragansett Electric customers have a fast, easy way to take advantage of a fantastic offer to save electricity and money."

Narragansett Electric alerted its customers to the special offer by including a coupon in their monthly electric bills during July 2001. The rebate offer is valid through October 31, 2001 and is open to customers served by National Grid’s distribution companies: Massachusetts Electric, Narragansett Electric, and Nantucket Electric.

Interested customers can take advantage of the offer by visiting www.bulbs.com/narel, www.bulbs.com/massel, or by calling toll-free, 1-866-642-8527. Customers are asked to have their account numbers ready.

About The Narragansett Electric Company
The Narragansett Electric Company is an electricity distribution subsidiary of National Grid operating in Rhode Island that serves approximately 460,000 customers in 38 cities and towns having a population of approximately 990,000 (1990 Census). The company's service area covers approximately 99 percent of Rhode Island, and includes the cities of Providence, East Providence, Cranston, and Warwick. Narragansett Electric Company can be found on the Web at www.narragansett.com.

About bulbs.com
Bulbs.com, headquartered in Worcester, Mass., is the only online light bulb supplier to offer an easy, complete purchasing process with the eSpec™ searchable database and BulbTrack™ smart reordering technology. Launched in August 1999, bulbs.com continues to gain awareness as the preeminent light bulb and ballast supplier to regional and national chains in the hospitality, retail, property management, and manufacturing sectors. The company is located at 40 Jackson Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, 01608, and can be reached by telephone at 508-363-2800 or on the Web at www.bulbs.com.