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Columbus seeks energy savings in its street lights

COLUMBUS (WKOW) -- Columbus is a town where the traffic lights are both literally and figuratively green, if only a little.

"We currently have out traffic signals converted to LED, but we only have two traffic signals in town," said Steve Sobiek, the city's sustainable energy director, referring to light emitting diodes.

That's the same technology being touted in those new expensive Christmas lights that use next to no electricity.  So a light bulb went off for Sobiek.  He thought about replacing all the current street lights in town with LED's.

"It's a very efficient lighting," he said.  "There's more energy that's produced from less wattage, and the energy savings is about 75-percent."

Plus, there's a lot more of street lights than there are traffic lights.  Sobiek estimates there's about 500 such fixtures along Columbus's road.  The plan would be to convert a quarter of them by the end of 2009.

For him, the energy savings make sense. Right now, all the traditional bulbs are costing Columbus $10,000 a year in energy.  If LED's would only cost a quarter of that in energy, the city could in theory make up the cost in just a few years.  That's because as part of the proposal, the city would take ownership of the fixtures.  Currently, it rents them and pays for maintenance from local utility Columbus Water and Light.

Columbus is also using this as a chance to distinguish itself.  Right now, no city in Wisconsin has switched over all its street lighting to LED.

"We can share this technology with businesses, with individuals, and encourage then use of this energy efficient lighting to save lighting costs," said Sobiek.

In fast, as he's tried to shed light on the idea, he's only found one pitfall. "It's a very bright light," he said as he held up one of the potential units.  "The only negative we have found with Columbus citizens when we ask, is it is almost too bright with the snow because it does reflect with the white snow.  But I guess from a lighting and safety perspective, that's a good problem to have."

To show how committed Columbus is to the technology, for the first time this year, he said all public holiday decorations will be LED as well.  Big changes for a town with just two stop lights.

Columbus's city countil must still approve the idea at a meeting later this month.

The city is also looking at other energy innovations. Sobiek said the parking lot at city hall now has electric outlets to encourage the use of electric cars.

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