New LED Bulbs Light Up Forest Park, Save Village Money

If you're walking around Forest Park at night in the near future, you may notice that things are looking a little brighter.

No, it's not just your positive outlook—the reason is the village's new, more energy efficient bulbs.

The village began swapping out the old bulbs this week, so you might notice crews on Madison Street blocking spaces for a while as they're installed.

Forest Park's Board of Commissioners approved the change at a meeting Oct. 22 for 1,200 LED bulbs to replace older bulbs in the village's street lights, alley lights and traffic lights.

The village borrowed $1.8 million from Forest Park National Bank to pay for the upgrade, which is expected to save money and energy. The upgrades are expected to save the village $8,000 in the first year and $200,000 over 10 years, according to media reports.

Although more expensive now, LED bulbs are expected to get significantly cheaper in coming years as demand increases and innovation abounds. The bulbs have a much longer lifespan than traditional incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lights. LED bulbs available for your home now run anywhere from $15-40, but have an average lifespan of 40 years.

That could mean a whole generation in the future may not understand light bulb jokes!