Carbon County is one step closer to saving $250,000 through its lighting retrofit project.

At Thursday's meeting, county solicitor Dan Miscavige announced plans to advertise for bids for the retrofit.The project was introduced on April 3 and involves the switch to energy-efficient lighting in the courthouse, courthouse annex and 76 Susquehanna St. complex to save energy and optimize public resources.The county predicts it will save about $250,000 over a decade by retrofitting over 700 light fixtures and 51 exit signs, at a cost of about $100,000.To cover costs, the county has received a $48,284 grant from the Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance for the NEPA Energy Efficient Lighting Grant program.The remaining money required for the project will be covered by the county, with the help of a $33,000 rebate from PPL.There are no set dates as to when bids will be assessed and finalized.In early 2014, commissioners signed a 36-month contract with TriEagle Energy of the Woodlands, Texas.Annually, the three buildings use 3 million kilowatt hours, and the county will pay 7.991 cents per kilowatt hour.