The Borough of Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, will save over $1,300 a year in electric costs by installing LED (light emitting diode) traffic lights in just five intersections.

The Borough partnered with the Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania and Econ Opportunities, Inc. of Reading on the project.

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

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

Joseph Bass, Mount Carmel Borough Manager said, “This project was ideal because the Borough is constantly evaluating ways to provide better service to residents while being fiscally conservative. We are pleased that the SEF and ECON provided the technical expertise and financial assistance needed to complete the project. We are projecting to reduce energy consumption by 11,400 kilowatt hours per year”. Bass added that the “greening of a municipality can prove to be both financially and environmentally rewarding”.

The Sustainable Energy Fund is a COSTARS approved vendor for the state of Pennsylvania, which means that Pennsylvania municipalities can deal directly with the SEF as approved by the Department of General Services.

COSTARS is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s cooperative purchasing program designed to assist local governments and other non-profit agencies to reduce their cost of doing business.

Unlike traditional light bulbs, LED’s use semiconductors (computer chips) to convert electrical energy into light. 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.

The SEF has partnered with other municipalities in the LED retrofitting program including: Pottsville, City of Allentown, Bloomsburg, Hamburg, Minersville, Northampton Borough, St. Clair, Borough of Clarion, Danville, and Shenandoah.

For more information, visit the Sustainable Energy Fund website.

11/2/2007