South Lake Tahoe to save thousands using LED lighting

The city of South Lake Tahoe, known for world class skiing and outdoor recreation, can now add energy efficiency to its acclaim. Thanks to the federal stimulus funds, energy efficient lights were installed throughout the city.

About 150 lights at the Motor Pool Building and 88 street lights on Ski Run Boulevard were switched from incandescent bulbs to Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). LEDs are more energy efficient and are longer lasting than traditional lights, saving the city money and maintenance costs.

The Police Department Building on Johnson Boulevard also received new energy efficient lights. More than 200 interior lights were switched from T12 lights to higher efficiency T8 lights. More than 50 occupancy sensors, designed to shut off lights when offices are not in use, were also installed.

Other city facilities switched more than 400 lights to the more efficient T8 bulbs. By switching to energy efficient lights, the city expects to save 186,889 kilowatt hours or $19,623 in annual energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 64.5 tons every year.

The project, completed in May, was funded by a $130,311 grant from the US Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Program (EECBG). The EECBG program, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is administered by the California Energy Commission to help small cities and counties throughout the state attain their energy-efficiency goals.