The Windsor Police Department, the United Way and the Ford City Neighborhood Renewal program have teamed up to decrease crime and improve safety at night in the Ford City neighborhood of Windsor, ON Canada. The group is supplying LED bulbs to 832 homes in the neighborhood free of charge. Residents are being asked to install the bulbs on there front porches and leave the lights on all night. The goal of the project is to decrease crime with improved lighting and visibility. An added bonus of using LED bulbs for the project is a marked decrease in energy usage and prolonged bulb life. Residents will spend approximately $2.07 a year to run the LED bulbs an average of 8 hours a night compared to $12.72 for a 40 watt incandescent. The LED bulbs should last over 13 years at that rate.
This story shows one of the better uses of LED lighting. It also shows how governments and the private sector can work together to help the community. Even with the price of LED lighting dropping dramatically over the last 2 years, prices are still much too high to consider using them in every light in your house. Light fixtures that are used infrequently or are used only a few hours a day are not good candidates for LED bulbs. Lights that are used 5 or more hours a day, such as a porch light or landscape lighting, are much better places for LED bulbs. Thanks to CBC News for some of the information contained in this article.
