Lombard, Wheaton snare energy grants

Lombard and Wheaton are doing their part to conserve energy, thanks to grant money from the federal government.

They are among seven Illinois communities awarded American Reinvestment and Recovery Act dollars to pursue energy conservation projects.

Lombard plans to spend $187,500 to install LED streetlights. Wheaton is going to use $100,000 of its grant money to develop a long-range strategic plan for energy efficiency and conservation.

Once that plan is drafted, the city will be eligible to receive an additional $414,000 to pursue a project.

"It's really an exciting opportunity for us to try to come up with some energy conservation programs and then offer dollars to get that accomplished," said Michael Dzugan, Wheaton's assistant city manager.

The process of drafting the plan should help Wheaton officials decide what project the city should pursue first.

"It could be many, many different programs," said Dzugan, adding that examples of what the $414,000 could be used for include making city buildings more energy efficient or offering free energy audits for homeowners.

"We're going to develop this strategy," Dzugan said. "And then once the strategy is developed, we're going to take specific tasks and tackle those."

Unlike Wheaton, Lombard will receive all of its $187,500 grant award at one time because village officials already knew how they wanted to spend it.

Carl Goldsmith, Lombard's public works director, said the plan is to convert 105 streetlights on the village's northwest side to use LED technology.

Once federal officials approve the idea, work on the conversion is expected to start this fall and take about two months, Goldsmith said.

The 105 LED lamps will represent a small portion of the village's nearly 3,000 streetlights. Still, the upgraded lights are expected to save Lombard about $170,000 in energy costs over 15 years, officials estimate.

"We hope to take that savings and put it toward additional lighting," Goldsmith said.

Once operational, the LED streetlights will cast the same pattern and color as high-pressure sodium lamps, according to Goldsmith.

"There should be no discernible difference to an individual driving down the street or walking down the street," he said.

Other Illinois municipalities awarded federal grant money for energy conservation projects include Bolingbrook, Crystal Lake, Palatine, Rockford and Springfield.