Original fixtures failing after less than five years

By John Faucher

Hortonville is looking to brighten the lighting and reduce its energy costs at Village Hall.

Village Administrator David DeTroye told the village board on May 16 that although the municipal building’s florescent ballasts are only 4 years old, numerous ballasts continue to fail. The building was constructed in 2014.

“My recommendation, having owned commercial buildings in the past, was to look at not just fixing and replacing it, but doing an energy consultation to see what it would cost the village at this point, if we’re going to continually lose these ballasts that are 3 and 4 years old, and upgrade into an LED,” DeTroye said.

He said in early May two consultants conducted walkthroughs of the building and were preparing quotes.

DeTroye

He also said there are government funds available through Focus on Energy programs that could offset initial costs should the village decide in the future to undergo an LED upgrade.

The two consultants will provide a quote with information on what lumens the building is currently using and an estimated energy cost savings.

DeTroye said it could result in significant energy savings to switch from sodium bulbs and fluorescent fixtures to LED lighting.

Trustee Jim Moeller asked if the village would replace or refit light fixtures.

DeTroye said it would likely be “a bit of both.”

There are 101 fixtures in the municipal building. Some were already updated in-house by staff.

Hortonville Public Works Director Carl McCrary said the majority of the bulbs in the building are the 4-foot fluorescent bulbs that need to be changed out.

“All of the cans and pendant lights have been swapped out. We did that internally,” McCrary said.

DeTroye noted the previous month’s electric bill for the facility was $1,345.

“I think we would see something significant,” DeTroye said of potential cost savings. “It’s worth investigating. Energy is not getting any cheaper.”