MEDORA

Now may be the time for Medora Community School Corp. officials to act if they want to switch to LED lighting in the school building.

That’s because Duke Energy is offering rebates to entities that make the switch, Superintendent Roger Bane recently told the board of trustees.

A few years from now, that program might not be offered, he said.

If the board chooses to convert all of the lights in the building to LED, the price is $70,663, but Duke Energy’s incentives of $20,663 would drop Medora’s cost down to $50,000. Bane received that quote from Let It Shine Lighting LLC of Bloomington.

“There may not be rebates later, so it’s really a $50,000 cost to us, which really for the whole building, to me, doesn’t sound that bad,” Bane said.

Another option is to just redo the gymnasium lighting. The cost to change the 26 lights over the gym floor would be $150 apiece, or $3,900. Another 10 lights over the bleachers — five on each side of the gym — aren’t as bright and could be replaced, too.

“I’m thinking that we could probably get into $6,000, $7,000 plus labor to do the gym,” Bane said. “Then we would get a rebate back on those.”

Bane said he could get a couple of quotes for that work. Board President Joe Campbell said then the board could make a decision on whether to only do the gym or do the whole building.

“Our lights in the gym right now are starting to go out,” Bane said. “There are several that are out, and we’re going to have to put more money into fixing those or go with an LED that’s going to last longer.”

The most recent time Medora had a lighting project was 2005, Campbell said.

Bane said LED lights emit brighter light, last longer and have less wattage than fluorescent bulbs.

Let It Shine Lighting estimated there would be a $1,400 monthly savings on lighting bills and a five-year combined savings of $85,000.

“Of course, their selling point is your monthly savings would pay for this,” Bane said.