Stimulus money used for Danbury efficiency projects

DANBURY -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced this week that federal stimulus dollars will be used to retrofit the Superior Courthouse on White Street with energy efficient technology.

In a press statement released this week, Rell said a portion of the state's $5 million in federal stimulus money for energy efficiency projects will be used at the courthouse.

Projects to be paid for with the money include energy efficient lighting, as well as heating and cooling systems. Rell said the project would also "help create jobs and pump money back into the local economy."

She added that a portion of the money has already been used to provide energy efficient light fixtures and controls in the Litchfield Hall dormitory at Western Connecticut State University. The project is estimated to save the university around $14,000 annually in utility costs.

Federal stimulus dollars are also being used on energy efficient projects at Bullard Havens Technical School in Bridgeport and several other locations throughout the state, including the Department of Environmental Protection headquarters in Hartford, Rell said.

Contact Dirk Perrefort at dperrefort@newstimes.com or at 203-731-3358.