Northern Colorado town spends millions to save millions when it comes to street lights
As the town of Windsor continues to rapidly grow in population, town officials are spending millions of dollars now in order to save millions of dollars in the future.
The Northern Colorado town is now spending more than $2 million to purchase thousands of existing street light poles across the community.
"If we can reduce costs in any location, that is what we will do," said Eric Lucas, deputy town manager for Windsor. "The purpose is really cost savings."
Until recently, the light poles in the town have been owned by electric providers Poudre Valley REA and Xcel Energy. The more than $2 million being spent this year is to purchase the Xcel poles.
"Last fall, we acquired the Poudre Valley side," Lucas said.
Windsor is now finalizing a deal to obtain 2,800 poles that are already operating.
"We will spend about $2.3 million to acquire and then convert any streetlights that are not LED," Lucas said.
Lucas said purchasing the poles right now is an upfront investment. Each light will be converted to LED lights, what Lucas says will save the town more than $5.3 million in energy bills over the next 20 years.
"The utilities have historically been charging the town for poles and maintenance," Lucas said.
However, by purchasing the poles, the cost of maintenance and upkeep will be cheaper for Windsor to complete themselves. When it comes to maintenance savings alone, Lucas said it won't take too long to regain their investment.
"We should recoup that investment in about seven to eight years," Lucas said.