RESEDA : Retirement Facility Lightens Utility Cost

And there was light--lots of it, energy-efficient, easy-on-the-eyes light for the elderly.

Residents of the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging--where the average age is 90--are enjoying light like they haven’t seen in years, thanks to a program from the Department of Water and Power that offers financial incentives to install energy-efficient lighting.

“It really is a win-win situation,” said home spokesman Michael Turner. “We’re going to save 1.4-million kilowatts of electricity a year, and they (residents) can see better. Things are not as dreary.”

The new system features lights that are tailored for aging eyes. So if the new cast at the home is a bit yellow and harsh to the younger set, for residents it is a vast improvement over traditional fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, Turner said.

The system will also save the nonprofit retirement home about $153,000 in utility costs the first year, said David Factor of Innovative Lighting Services, the company that did the installation. And for making the massive change, the Department of Water and Power will present the home with an incentive check for another $90,304 at a ceremony today.

With many of the supplies for the project offered at a discounted rate or donated by lighting suppliers, the entire make-over cost is about $300,000, an amount that should be recouped in less than two years, Turner said.

“In a lot of cases of lighting retrofitting . . . the pay-back can be really good,” said Stephan Matsuda, DWP’s manager of commercial programs.

The department has similar programs for residential utility users.

Festivities celebrating the new lighting system will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging, 18855 Victory Blvd., Reseda.