It's not easy becoming green, but that's not stopping Ferndale from trying. City officials are looking into switching in LED lights into the inner-ring suburb's street lights next year.
Why not this year? Money.
"It's quite expensive, but we're looking at it," says Jack Crowly, superintendent of Ferndale's public works department.
The expense is worth it in the long run. LED lights use a fraction of the electricity of normal light bulbs because 95 percent of the energy they utilize creates light the human eye can see. In comparison, only 50 to 60 percent of energy used by regular light bulbs makes visible light.
LED lights also last several years longer than the normal life-span for normal street lights. LEDs are currently used in traffic lights, TV and brake lights for car; as well as many other products.
Ferndale put LED lights into all 25 of its traffic lights last year. Switching out the incandescent bulbs in all 170 or so of the city's street lights is not as easy because the LEDs have a higher up-front cost than normal bulbs.
Other Metro Detroit communities are also looking into making the switch to LED. Ann Arbor is in the process of changing its downtown streetlights and Ypsilanti is also looking into doing the same with its downtown. Oxford-based Relume Technologies is working with a number of other Metro Detroit communities to make the switch.
Source: Jack Crowly, superintendent of Ferndale's public works department
Writer: Jon Zemke
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