Valpo’s switch to more efficient lights paying off

VALPARAISO, Ind. — The city of Valparaiso’s decision to switch to more efficient LED lights for streetlights and traffic signals is expected to pay for itself in about four years and provide ongoing savings of thousands of dollars annually, a city administrator says.

Director Don McGinley of Valparaiso’s Project and Facility Management Office tells The Times of Munster (http://bit.ly/xSvoif ) that the northwestern Indiana city has installed 170 decorative streetlights and had power provider NIPSCO remove 90 conventional “cobra head” street lights. The cobra heads use about $24.50 a month in electricity compared with $5.85 for the decorative light-emitting diode lamps.

He says saving money isn’t the only benefit of the LED lamps. McGinley says they provide a better natural light and have underground wiring so nothing is visible in the air.