Photo by AZAdam via Flickr
Only 102 of the 958 city buildings expected to get CFLs have installed the energy-efficient lightbulbs and City Controller Laura Chick is saying that the program is not going fast enough. So far, the city has replaced enough to save $1.5 million on the annual $27-million power bill. However, replacing the bulbs came at the price of $5 million, but costs are expected to be recovered over time with estimated savings of $6 million a year.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office is expected to present a conservation plan "to spend $38.7 million over the next six months to place efficient lighting in the 497 municipal buildings that use the most energy," according to the LA Times. At that point, 599 buildings will be CFL-ed, leaving a little over 350 buildings to go.
Chick does not blame resources or funding for the slow-to-go installment of the lights -- rather, it is has not been a political priority. "Reducing energy usage in city buildings has never been included in the greening L.A. priorities set by our elected leadership," she wrote in a letter that came with her audit (.pdf).
Related: My electricity bill is now 40% lower
