An innovative turnkey energy partnership between the Borough of Hamburg, Berks County and The Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania will save the municipality 30,600 Kw hours of electricity, or approximately $2,700 a year.

Light emitting diodes, or LED traffic lights were installed at 5 intersections throughout Hamburg. The Sustainable Energy Fund managed the entire installation program, and helped the municipality fund the improvement costs.

The energy savings generated over five years will enable the municipality to pay for the cost of installation, save energy, and require no out-of-pocket costs.

"This project was a natural fit with The SEF’s mission of promoting renewable, clean energy technologies and energy conservation,” explains Jennifer Hopkins, President of The SEF. “Projects like these illustrate how municipalities throughout the Commonwealth can make a huge difference in reducing energy consumption and lower costs - one LED at a time. The SEF is delighted to contribute to the growth of these technologies through investment in innovation.”

Lynda Albright, Borough of Hamburg’s Manager, stated: “This project was ideal and represented a simple way to save a municipality money and reduce capital outlays. Energy savings is an awareness thing….you get so caught up in day-to-day planning, you don’t realize how a simple investment can lead to substantial savings.”

“Unlike traditional light bulbs, LED’s use semiconductors (computer chips) to convert electrical energy into light”, according to John Forsyth, SEF Project Manager. According to Lynda Albright, Borough Manager “not only are we saving taxpayer dollars, but we are doing our part in becoming more environmentally educated.”

Installation of LED’s can provide up to 90 percent savings on lighting electricity bills, increase signal life up to 10 times over incandescent bulbs, and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Because LED modules have a guaranteed life expectancy of at least five years – and can often last as long as ten years – they also eliminate the need for manpower and related costs for manually changing light bulbs. LEDs produce light using a semiconductor, or “chip,” and can provide an average of 100,000 hours of illumination as compared to only 8,000 hours for an incandescent bulb.

The SEF offers attractive funding opportunities for projects that offer a strong fit with its mission. For more information or to apply, visit the The Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania website.

5/18/2007