New London — About 400 residents participated in a light bulb swap on April 9 at the New London Senior Center and traded in nearly 2,000 incandescent light bulbs in exchange for free energy-efficient LED bulbs, according to a statement from Eversource.

Each resident who swapped out five of their home’s old, inefficient light bulbs is expected to save more than $50 in annual energy costs.

Combined, these New London residents will save approximately $19,250 annually, Eversource said.

Over the lifetime of the new LED bulbs, New Londoners collectively will save approximately $442,750.

“We saw a great response from New London,” Eversource’s Energy Efficiency spokesman, Enoch Lenge, said. “People were excited about the event and eager to learn more about additional ways to save energy and money at home.”

A single LED bulb has a life expectancy of about 23 years, uses up to 90 percent less energy, and can save homeowners as much as $10 per year versus a traditional incandescent bulb, which has about a 1.5- to 2.5-year lifespan.

The city used a $10,000 Bright Idea grant for the exchange, earned through their participation in Energize Connecticut’s Clean Energy Communities program.

For more information, visit EnergizeCT.com or call (877) WISEUSE ([877] 947-3873).