Airport gets grant for LED lighting

The Allegheny County Airport Authority has received an $800,000 state grant to pay half of the cost of replacing parking lot and garage lights at Pittsburgh International Airport with high-efficiency LED lights.

The grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority will allow the county to replace 1,471 high-intensity discharge lights with the new fixtures, County Executive Dan Onorato said today. Duquesne Light provides the grant money through the state Department of Environmental Protection to help customers ensure they have an efficient energy supply for critical operations.

The new lights are expected to save the county $158,754 annually, with the savings used to fund the project over the next 10 years. They also will use 2.1 million kilowatt hours less electricity over the life of the project.

The lights are manufactured by Appalachian Lighting Systems Inc. of Ellwood City, Lawrence County.

The airport project is a continuation of the county’s Green Initiative, which has included projects such as replacing incandescent lights at the Allegheny County Jail with LED fixtures, collecting rain water to support a garden at the courthouse and growing a garden on part of the roof at the County Office Building. It also is conducting energy audits of all of its buildings to see where it can save money and use less energy.