Sevier County is spending less on electricity at the courthouse, thanks to an energy-efficient lighting project. More than 1,000 interior lighting fixtures were replaced and sensors were installed to help reduce energy consumption.
“Our kilowatt hour usage dropped nearly 40,000 from the two most recent billing periods compared to the same time last year,” said Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters. “Energy-efficiency wasn’t in the plans when the original courthouse was built, so we’re pleased to be able to help reduce electricity usage while saving money.”
Sevier County was awarded an Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant (EECBG) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Using that money, the Sevier County Courthouse Energy Efficient Retrofit project began, with the first part being an interior lighting retrofit. The second part of the project will use the remaining portion of the $356,900 grant for a partial window replacement.
Included in the lighting upgrade was a reduction in the number of bulbs used, dropping from T-12 40 watt bulbs to T-8 32 watt bulbs, installing electronic ballasts and changing from halogen to fluorescent lights. Sensors were also installed in areas that were infrequently or inconsistently used.
“In addition to using less energy, the new lights are also much brighter than the old ones,” said Sevier County Communications Coordinator Perrin Anderson. “When you consider that our air conditioning system and lighting are on the same bill and the billing period was significantly warmer than the same time last year, it is really impressive that we reduced our energy usage that much.”

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