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SEVIER COUNTY, TN - Sevier County is spending less on electricity at the courthouse, thanks to an energy-efficient lighting project. More than 1,000 interior lighting fixtures were replaced and sensors were installed to help reduce energy consumption.

“Our kilowatt hour usage dropped nearly 40,000 from the two most recent billing periods compared to the same time last year,” said Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters. “Energy-efficiency wasn’t in the plans when the original courthouse was built, so we’re pleased to be able to help reduce electricity usage while saving money.”

Sevier County was awarded an Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant (EECBG) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Using that money, the Sevier County Courthouse Energy Efficient Retrofit project began, with the first part being an interior lighting retrofit. The second part of the project will use the remaining portion of the $356,900 grant for a partial window replacement.

Included in the lighting upgrade was a reduction in the number of bulbs used, dropping from T-12 40 watt bulbs to T-8 32 watt bulbs, installing electronic ballasts and changing from halogen to fluorescent lights. Sensors were also installed in areas that were infrequently or inconsistently used.

“In addition to using less energy, the new lights are also much brighter than the old ones,” said Sevier County Communications Coordinator Perrin Anderson. “When you consider that our air conditioning system and lighting are on the same bill and the billing period was significantly warmer than the same time last year, it is really impressive that we reduced our energy usage that much. “

The Sevier County courthouse was completed in 1895. An addition was built in 1971 and an annex was added in 1991. The entire courthouse has more than 60,000 square feet and houses several county departments and elected officials offices.

This project was made possible with a grant of $356,900 from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. The EECBG Program, funded for the first time by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) of 2009, represents a national priority to deploy the cheapest, cleanest, and most reliable energy technologies we have—energy efficiency and conservation—across the country.  EECBG enables U.S. cities, counties, states, territories, and Indian tribes to develop, promote, implement, and manage energy efficiency and conservation projects and programs. States use grants to address their energy priorities and to adopt emerging renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Learn more about the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program at: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/eecbg.html