DuPage County is Saving You Energy and Money
Energy efficiency and conservation measures come in familiar ways such as changing light bulbs but DuPage County has taken an extra step and found a way to save fuel for DuPage drivers.
If you've ever waited at a traffic light wondering why your car was idling while no cross traffic moved through the intersection, or hit red light after red light on a long stretch of road, you've experienced the fuel saving opportunity identified by the county.
After thorough study, the county optimized and synchronized traffic signals on 15 stretches of county road so that traffic would flow better and signal timing matched traffic patterns. The improvements reduced fuel consumption by 764,121 gallons, translating into $3,041,201 of savings per year with fuel priced at $3.98 per gallon.
The county has also improved energy efficiency and conservation in more traditional ways with lighting upgrades in county buildings, an energy star roof and installation of efficient appliances. The upgrades and improvements are saving $73,898 this year and will save money every year going forward.
These projects were funded by grants received from the Department of Energy and not by local taxpayers. The County is committed to finding new, innovative and cost effective ways of saving energy to achieve their targeted goal of reducing energy usage throughout DuPage by 10% by 2020.
Kudos to DuPage County for showing that local government can be good stewards of the environment in fiscally responsible ways.
The full report on the DuPage County's energy saving projects is available on the County's website http://www.dupageco.org/EDP/Waste_Recycling_and_Energy/1533/