Friday, November 20, 2009

Ketchum drafts New Year’s resolution

City plans to cut electric bill by $6,950 a year


By TREVON MILLIARD
Express Staff Writer

The city of Ketchum has already decided on its New Year's resolution.

But instead of promising to make a monumental change beginning midnight Jan. 1, Ketchum's resolution should be half over by then.

The city is embarking on a $52,300 effort to replace its streetlights and building lights with more efficient bulbs that would save $11,000 a year, not to mention reducing the city's carbon footprint by 91 tons annually.

"The things that save us the most per dollar also save use the most per output," said Gerald Ryan, president of Ryan Lighting, the company hired to make the transition.

However, City Administrator Gary Marks recommended not tackling the project all at once, but in two phases.

"I would not recommend we spend $52,000 up front right now," he said to the City Council on Monday.

The project's price tag would eventually be cut by 42 percent, or $22,000, because Idaho Power gives utility rebates for efficiency-increasing endeavors. The rebates amount to either 12 cents per kilowatt hour saved or 70 percent of the project's total cost, whichever is less.

But the reimbursement could take up to a year to reach the city.

For that reason, the City Council deemed it prudent to take the project in two phases, and approved the first phase on Monday, giving Ryan Lighting permission to replace 63 percent of the lights by New Year's Day. That adds up to 251 lights, 52 of which are streetlights.

In phase one, about $24,500 would be spent up front to reduce the city's electric bill by $6,950 every year. With the $13,900 rebate for this phase, the project's cost is dropped to $10,560, meaning the amount of electricity saved would pay for phase one in about 18 months.

"It's the ultimate no-brainer," Marks said in an interview. "There's no reason not to do something like this."

Marks said he plans for phase two to be completed by January 2011, replacing the remaining 147 lights. After calculating in Idaho Power's rebate for the entire effort, the project would come to a cost of $30,300. In 34 months, energy savings would cover every cent spent.

After that the energy savings will only pile up $11,000 year on year.

But, Ryan said, savings don't just come through less electricity used. He said the new lights require less maintenance and have a five-year warranty, meaning that if one goes out his company or the manufacturer will replace it at no cost to Ketchum.

Ryan estimated annual maintenance savings at about $10,000.

Mayor Randy Hall said, "Can't argue with that."

And the council voted unanimously in favor.

Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com




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