Through a grant, our Town Office has brand-new energy efficient lights. Given the number of fixtures and LED bulbs, the cost ran to about $27,700. But funding came from a grant through the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future rather than from the town’s budget.
With research and legwork done by Harpswell’s Energy and Technology Committee and the grant submitted by the Resiliency and Sustainability Committee, Harpswell was awarded the funds in December 2022. An additional $4,500 was awarded for an energy audit of the building. Fluorescent and incandescent bulbs and outmoded fixtures were replaced by LEDs in July of this year.
How can you make similar upgrades in your home? How can you save energy and money? As an example, if you replace two 100-watt bulbs that you use for six hours a day, two LEDs screwed into the same lamps would save you $80 a year in energy costs. This is an estimate calculated using Efficiency Maine’s savings calculator. You plug in the wattage of a bulb and how long it will be on, then the website estimates your savings. Just search online for “Efficiency Maine residential lighting.”
To save more money, you can also learn about buying screw-in LEDs at discounted prices. Discounts are available to Mainers for bulbs installed in Maine. Brunswick has a distributor and Portland has several. Just search for “Efficiency Maine screw-in.”
When purchasing lighting for your home, check the Kelvin temperature rating on the box. A rating of 2800-3200 emits a warmer color similar to that of the screw-in bulb you are replacing.
