Carbon County is looking to save big by making changes to its lighting.

On Thursday, the county commissioners opened bids for the installation of lighting equipment that was purchased through state contract. The new lights will be installed in the county courthouse, courthouse annex, prison and 76 Susquehanna St. offices.Bids ranged from $38,400 to $130,000, with Electric Power Savers of Camp Hill submitting the low bid. The commissioners then recessed the meeting to allow its purchasing department to review the bids. Electric Power Savers was awarded the contract once it was determined that it met all requirements for the project.Commissioner William O'Gurek said that the cost of the project, which totals $109,179, will be covered through grants, a rebate and annual savings.In April, the county received a $48,284.34 matching grant from Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance through the NEPA Efficient Lighting Grant program; and an additional $19,861 from NEPA after another county cut part of its project, freeing up some funds.In addition, O'Gurek said there is an anticipated PPL rebate of approximately $33,000 that the county should receive once the project is finished. Until then, the county will cover the cost of the required match for the grant.O'Gurek said after the project is complete, the county will also see an annual savings of $23,806 on its light bills."It's a real win for this county," he said, noting that this project has been in the works for approximately three years. "This will probably be a project that won't cost the county anything, and will result in better lighting with reduced energy consumption."The lighting project calls for installing a total of 40 LED exit signs, 1,583 fluorescent light conversion kits and 127 light fixture kits in the four buildings.The equipment was purchased from Grainger and Friedman Electric through the Pennsylvania State Costars program at a cost of $70,779.79.O'Gurek thanked NEPA for helping to bring the project to fruition.The county now has until Feb. 28 to complete the project under the terms of the grants.