Most existing fluorescent lights in the Oak Ridge Central Services Complex Building, Civic Center and Municipal Building are being replaced with LED lights through a grant, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said. Oak Ridge received $200,000 in Clean Tennessee Energy Grant for purchasing the new LED lights.

Watson said it’s expected to take 90 days to get to the bidding process for the project. He said work would start in the Central Services Complex Building, move on to the Municipal Building and then, to the Civic Center and library.

LED lights, though more expensive, last for a longer time, use less power and will save a large amount of electric charge, officials said. The estimated savings in electric energy from the project is about 250,000 kilowatt hours per year. That’s the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 147 passenger vehicles, carbon dioxide emissions from 78,998 gallons of gas and carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity use of 105 homes for a year, officials said. Using LED lights benefit for both economy and environment for Oak Ridge.