FROSTBURG – The city of Frostburg has been approved for a $45,000 energy efficiency grant, with officials considering installation of LED light bulbs in antique-style street lighting throughout the downtown area.

A pass-through grant from the Maryland Energy Administration, the allocation is part of the federal stimulus package, with funding distributed to the states through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.  Allocations to local governments are generally based on population.

While multiple options are available for spending the money, Frostburg officials have initially proposed using the funds to replace conventional light bulbs in the city’s 270 antique-style lamp-posts with LEDs, or light-emitting diodes.

Before the city settles on LED lighting, staff will conduct extensive research, including installation in a number of lamp posts on a pilot basis, to gauge light output as well as citizen reaction.

Announcing receipt of the grant at February’s City Council meeting, City Administrator John Kirby noted that the antique lights are popular for their warm glow and ample illumination accorded downtown streets and sidewalks.

“We’ll let folks see what they look like,” he said.

The allure of LEDs is their high-efficiency and energy savings, which makes them attractive for “green” initiatives like the energy grant.

LEDs generally operate 90 percent more efficiently than conventional bulbs, as much of the energy used in standard bulbs is converted to heat, not light.  According to Kirby, a 40-watt LED will roughly provide the lighting of a standard 100 watt bulb; an 80-watt LED is equivalent to a 150-watt standard bulb.

The LED bulb also lasts much longer, reducing replacement costs.  The rated average working life of LED is 100,000 hours, compared with 1,000 hours for incandescent bulbs.

LEDs are not without their disadvantages, however. Incandescent and florescent light bulbs illuminate in all directions and give out more overall light.  LEDs are also significantly more expensive to purchase, though acquisition costs are offset by long-term savings.

“The initial cost will be more, but long-term, it will be less,” noted Mayor Arthur Bond.

Frostburg resident Bob Sweitzer noted that the lack of heat in an LED bulb, while making it more efficient, can also have a drawback.  LED lights have been installed in traffic signals nationwide, including a program last year that installed them in numerous signals throughout Allegany County.  Officials are now finding, however, that the lights can become covered with snow, where the old bulbs would melt the snow from the colored glass housings.

City staff are slated to present their initial findings to the Mayor and City Council at the Council’s March 16 work session, 7 PM at City Hall.  The city plans a deliberate approach in considering a conversion to LEDs.

“We’re going to look at this very intently,” Kirby said.  “We want to thoroughly research it before we make a decision.”