ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- They may be small, but the are making a big impact in the nation's oldest city. New LED bulbs are not only shedding new light, but they are slashing thousands from the budget every month.
"It detects motion up to 50-feet away from the fixture. And it will bring the lights from low-to-high as needed," said Bryan Schaffer.
Schaffer is the engineer who helped the city make the switch to their parking garage. A federal grant paid for most or it, but the City of St. Augustine expect the lights to pay for themselves in less than two years.
"A lot of parking garages are empty a lot of the time or full some of the time. So you can see great savings when you combine LED's with the control panels," said Schaffer.
In the first month alone, the city saved almost $3,000 on their electricity bill. And Schaffer says it's only the beginning. "They don't have to change the bulbs, and they don't have to go up there and do any maintenance to the fixtures. And that also saves the city money," he said.
"Saving money helps everyone.," said Madison Rambeau.
Madison lives in St Augustine. And she says the fact that the lights are better for the environment is worth the change alone. "I knew it could save you money in your home, but I didn't realize the county could save money like that," she said.
Now the only thing brighter than the parking garage will be the smiles on taxpayer faces.
