Enlarge 2005 photo by Ken Ruinard, Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail Winfred Mize of Starr, S.C., paints a mural for Planet Hotdog under a streetlight. STREETLIGHTS IN THE USA STREETLIGHTS IN THE USA Number: 13 million Kilowatts hours used, annually: 14.3 billion Electricity cost, annual: $1.3 billion The old-fashioned streetlight is the recession's latest victim. To save money, some cities and towns are turning off lights, often lots of them. The cost-cutting moves coincide with changing attitudes about streetlights. Once viewed as helpful safety measures, the lights are increasingly seen by some public officials and researchers as an environmental issue, creating light pollution and burning excess energy. In July, Santa Rosa, Calif., started a two-year effort to remove 6,000 of the city's 15,000 streetlights. An additional 3,000 will be placed on a timer that shuts lights off from midnight to 5:30 a.m. Savings: $400,000 a year. The city boasts that it will cut its carbon footprint. What really matters, though, is money. Public works director Rick Moshier says he'd already cut his department's budget by 25% when he turned to streetlights. "I can either fix potholes and storm drains or keep paying $800,000 a year for electricity," Moshier says. Turning out the lights has met some local resistance. Santa Rosa has a hotline for complaints. "What about the human factor?" says Kenneth Ozoonian of North Andover, Mass. His town is turning off 626 streetlights — about one-third of the town's total — to save $47,000 annually. "Some of these lights have been on for 40 or 50 years. The elderly, children and the disabled need the light," he says. Other towns flipping the switch: • Dennis, Mass., on Cape Cod is considering shutting off 832 lights to save $50,000 a year. • Montgomery, Pa., had its police department choose which lights would go. The town turned off 31 lights, one-third of the total, to save $6,000. • South Portland, Maine, joined several other Maine towns when the City Council voted to turn off 112 lights, saving $20,000 a year. In Minnesota, cities and towns are starting to charge "streetlight fees" to cover the cost. Northfield, Minn., a city of 19,000 will decide next month whether to add a $2.25 streetlight fee to monthly water and sewer bills. More than 30 Minnesota towns have added the fee. "Streetlights are more expensive than people realize," Northfield Mayor Mary Rossing says. Her city spends about $230,000 a year on streetlights. Many cities are leaving streetlights at intersections but removing them from residential neighborhoods, especially from the middle of blocks. Most cities use more light than they need, at least in some places, says scientist John Bullough of the Light Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Towns should be careful about removing lights, he says. "It's not something you want to do by throwing darts at the map." There's little evidence to support the belief that streetlights reduce crime, he says. However, lighting does reduce traffic accidents, especially at intersections. The nation's streetlights consume electricity equivalent to 1.4 million homes. They generate greenhouse gases equal to 2 million cars a year. "Do we really need this many lights on? Do we really need this much wattage?" asks Johanna Duffek of the International Dark-Sky Association. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more