RUMFORD — The Board of Selectmen is exploring the feasibility of buying their rented streetlights and converting them to more efficient LED lighting.
On Aug. 3, Paul Vesel, director of RealTerm Energy of Annapolis, Maryland, made a presentation to the board about its LED conversion services. He said his company is working with 22 towns in Maine. Legislation passed several years ago that allows towns to buy their streetlights from Central Maine Power.
Vesel said the change would save about a 79 percent of operating costs in the first year.
At its meeting last Wednesday, selectmen voted 5-0 to spend up to $20,000 from the general fund to have RealTerm Energy conduct an inventory of streetlights.
Town Manager Linda “L-J” Briggs said the audit, which should be completed in about a month, will provide a clearer picture about the streetlight system and the potential savings. CMP says Rumford has 648 fixtures.
Briggs said the town is going with the company because a committee from Rockland, Falmouth, Biddeford and South Portland studied firms and selected RealTerm Energy.
“What the committee hoped to do is set up the template for use statewide,” Briggs said.
Vesel said the buyout from CMP would be approximately $265,820. He said the average annual cost per fixture is $144 now. After the conversion to LED lighting, that cost would be $30.
RealTerm estimated the payback for the lights, before financing costs, to be 3½ years.
Briggs said doing this is “an effective way to maintain service and reduce cost.”
She said, “This is a way to garner those same savings and not affect the level of service that we’re able to afford the taxpayers. Make that tax bill more palatable.”
Briggs said LED lighting offers numerous options, including different degrees of brightness as well as colors.
If the board decides to proceed with this project, selectmen could call for a special town meeting.
Briggs said that if the board decided to take the funds from the undesignated fund, “they don’t have to get town approval. They could make that decision.”
“Politically, I think it’s important for the people to be a part of that. I think the more that we get this information out to the people, the more likely they are to support it,” she said.