Federal stimulus money making Benton County more energy efficient

FOLEY -- Benton County is wrapping-up two energy efficiency projects, both paid for with federal stimulus dollars.

Jim Whitcomb is the county's Property Management Director.  He says one of the projects replaced all of the county's old thermostats with new computer-controlled ones that will better regulate the temperatures.

Whitcomb says the other project is replacing all of the county's old 32 watt fluorescent bulbs with 25 watt bulbs -- that's just over 4,000 light bulbs that had to be replaced.

Whitcomb says the county received about $52,000 in stimulus money.  And he says the two projects will end-up saving the county about $16,000 a year.