The City of Fenton will be making some eco-friendly changes that should yield both energy and financial savings.

The Fenton City Council met recently and accepted a recommendation from Police Chief Jason Slater to enter into an agreement with Consumers Energy Small Business Trade Ally Program. Under the agreement, all lighting devices in the police department and city hall buildings will be converted to LED. The Tri-County Times reports that Slater became aware of the program this past spring and he requested an energy assessment be completed to determine if the police department and city hall buildings would benefit from the program.

Under the program, funding is allocated to replace fluorescent and incandescent lighting with high efficiency LED lighting in an effort to reduce energy consumption. The energy assessment was done and substantial energy savings are anticipated once the conversion is complete. The police department building assessment and proposal indicated that all 122 light bulbs, fluorescent/incandescent, would be replaced with high efficiency lighting. The city hall assessment calls for replacing 141 fluorescent/incandescent light bulbs, interior and exterior, with high efficiency LED bulbs.

The program will cover the majority of the cost. The total cost to the City is around $2,800 to convert all of lights in city hall and the police department - with a projected annual combined savings of $7,262. A warranty is included in the agreement. (JM)