Last year Ann Arbor inked a deal with LED manufacturer, Cree Inc to provide lighting for a citywide LED initiative.  This effort was undertaken in the hopes of saving energy and reducing yearly green house gas emissions.  Recently the city of Ann Arbor forged another deal for retrofitting LEDs with a company called Lumecon.  Over the 07-08 holidays, Ann Arbor trees lit up with over 114,000 LED lights.  The city also plans to convert over 1,000 street lights eventually to LED light. Ann Arbor's long term goal is to cut energy costs in half and reduce 2,425 tons of CO2 annually.  The payback period on this environmentally friendly investment is a mere 3.8 years!  This project was partially funded by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority ($630,000).  The plan was borne from a succesful pilot program performed on one city block with 25 LED lights over 3 years.  Based on this research, the city should save over $100,000 a year on the first 1,000 street lights alone! The street light conversion project will be completed over the next two years.  Kudos to the City of Ann Arbor for their vision and commitment to help the environment! Search all listings in Michigan with pictures and tours...Free! Kathy Toth & Team: Ann Arbor Area Real Estate Experts www.KathyToth.com Real Estate One