Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Some of the energy-efficienct bulbs offered at a two-day sale are seen near the conclusion of the event at the Portage Lake District Library Thursday.

HOUGHTON — Residents got the chance to find out more about energy-efficient light and buy them at a discount at Efficiency United’s sale the Portage Lake District Library Wednesday and Thursday.

“Usually Day Two is a little bit slower, but we were still very busy selling out some of the product, or coming close to it,” Marie Sinnaeve, senior market outreach specialist for Efficiency United, said Thursday afternoon. “It’s all about reducing energy, and LED lighting is one of the ways the customers can.”

The Efficiency United program partners with 16 Michigan utilities, including the Upper Peninsula Power Co. and SEMCO Energy.

Some items were new to this year’s sale. Sinnaeve demonstrated a motion LED bulb, which goes on when something comes within six to eight feet then turns off after three minutes of inactivity. Outdoor dusk-to-dawn lights are equivalent to 120 watts, but only use 15 watts of power, Sinnaeve said.

The event allows customers to see products in action and determine what will meet their needs, Sinnaeve said.

“A lot of times when you’re at the store and you’re looking at a bunch of lightbulbs, you don’t have that opportunity to see, do I want soft light 60-watt equivalent, or do I want daylight?” she said. “So you buy something and you get it home, and it’s like, ‘That’s not what I thought it was.'”

Another sale will take place in Ironwood next week.

The group also spread the word about other energy-efficiency events. UPPCO will host a drop-off event for fridges, freezers, dehumidifiers and room air-conditioning units at Ed’s Used Parts and Salvage. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. July 19 and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 20. Rebates are between $20 and $50.

The table also publicized free home energy assessment from SEMCO for people with natural gas heaters, and for UPPCO with electric water heaters. It includes a check of insulation, windows, doors and a “blower door” test that pressurizes the house to determine where air is leaking.

Kitchen aerators, low-flower shower heads and other efficiency devices are also provided for free. Inspectors can also make recommendations for further steps and leave information with the resident. They do not represent a specific product or contractor, Sinnaeve said.

“If you’re armed with information, then you can make good buying decisions,” she said.