The new LED lighting throughout the county courthouse may be a brighter white, but they’re saving taxpayers a big chunk of change.

According to county architect Dudley Anderson this LED technology could result in several million dollars in total reduced costs over the next ten years.

“We get a huge electric bill every month,” Anderson said. “A typical three bulb fixture uses about 100 watts of electricity; with little effort we can change that and use 40 percent of that.”

Crews began installing the new lighting in September. In addition to using less energy, the lights do not produce any heat – saving on cooling costs as well.

“Cooling a 40 watt fixture is a lot easier than cooling a 100 watt fixture,” Anderson said.

The savings don’t stop there, county officials also point out that the return on investment will only grow with the savings each year, as the LED light kits are guaranteed to last longer and require less maintenance.