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SALT LAKE CITY -- Some cities are turning off streetlights to save money. Salt Lake is talking about whether that would work here, plus testing different energy-efficient bulbs.
Salt Lake City officials don't want to just shut off all the lights. That would save money, but would it be safe?
Salt Lake transportation engineer Mike Barry said, "There's less feeling of security out there."
Barry says every other light in some areas could go dark, or more dimmers could be used, or some downtown lights with three bulbs could see the side bulbs turned off at some points overnight.
Barry also has to weigh what kind of cost savings could come from energy-efficient bulbs. A new bulb, for example, may cost $400 but may not pay enough back in energy savings before the lamp wears out.
"We are all concerned about saving energy and reducing our maintenance. But we have to weigh out the costs as well. We want to be green but we don't want to be broke and green," Barry said.
He says the city is testing LED and induction lights on 1,000 of the 15,000 streetlights in the city.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
