The SEF Takes the “LED”

Borough of Mount Carmel Saves Money and Electricity

2007-11-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 01, 2007

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUND IS REDUCING ENERGY COSTS – ONE LED AT A TIME
(Allentown, PA) – The Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF) of Central Eastern Pennsylvania partnered with Econ Opportunities, Inc. (ECON) and the Borough of Mount Carmel to finance the installation of LED (light emitting diodes) traffic lights at five intersections. 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 require no out-of-pocket costs. The change-out is expected to save Mount Carmel approximately $1,300 annually in electricity and maintenance costs. After the five year payback period, all electricity and maintenance cost savings will go directly back to the Borough.

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 provided a loan to finance the project. The Borough will repay the SEF via the money saved in electrical bills, and the entire loan will be repaid within five years. The SEF 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 PA 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% savings on lighting electricity bills, increase signal life up to 10 times over incandescent bulbs, and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

The Borough decided to install the LED lights after ECON of Reading completed an energy audit on traffic signalization and provided an estimated savings for the five intersections using incandescent bulbs within the Borough’s limits. 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. LED’s produce light using a semiconductor, or “chip,” and can provide an average of 50,000 to 100,000 hours of illumination as compared to only 2,000 to 5,000 hours for an incandescent bulb.

“Municipalities and consumers alike are looking for economical, environmentally smart solutions to ease our mounting energy crisis,” says Ms. Hopkins. “ LEDs offer a simple and tremendously cost-effective solution , and we’re proud to be leading the way in LED conversion projects that will benefit Pennsylvanians.”

Back story: The SEF support includes providing an energy audit which quantifies savings associated with installation of LED’s, managing the installation of the lights, and financing 100% of the costs associated with the project.

Partnerships: 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.