Sullivan County officials plan to use nearly $500,000 in federal stimulus money to swap out their existing light fixtures with more energy-efficient ones.
County Building Manager Claude Smith said the new fixtures will use T-8 fluorescent bulbs rather than the larger and less energy-efficient T-12 fluorescent bulbs now used.
The new bulbs also project light better than the traditional fluorescent light fixtures, which are present in almost every county-owned building.
“One of those new fixtures will probably take the place of three or four of the light fixtures we’ve got now,” Smith said, adding that the switch will help the county conserve energy and cut its utility bills.
Mayor Steve Godsey said the county will pay for the swap with a $487,000 grant it received Friday from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants Program.
Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, known as the federal stimulus package, this grant program has given out more than $1 billion to help state governments, local governments and Indian tribes across the U.S. curb energy consumption.
Sullivan County is one of three Tennessee municipalities to receive one of these grants, according to the program’s Web site. The others are the town of Smyrna and Shelby County.
Tennessee also received a $13.8 million grant from the program.
Smith said he hopes to have more information about the light fixture replacement project in a few weeks as he learns more about the grant program’s requirements.
But Godsey already has plans to spend whatever grant money is left. He said Friday the county will use this money to swap several rooftop air conditioners at the old Sullivan County Courthouse, which houses most of the county’s government operations.
He said some of these units are 10 to 15 years old and are ready to be replaced with newer, more energy efficient models approved by the U.S. Department of Energy.
gmclean@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2518
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