When the College of the Canyons fall semester begins on Aug. 22, students taking evening classes at the Valencia campus will notice that things look a little brighter.

That’s because most of the campus’ exterior lights have been replaced by Light-Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures. The roughly $546,000 comprehensive retrofit and replacement of the campus’ exterior lighting includes 12 college parking lots and the East P.E. gymnasium.

“The light intensity has been raised, at the darkest area, by double,” said Will Karrat, facilities project director at the college. “Considering that the darkest area was already well within code design standards, the illumination between old and new is, literally, day and night.”

The switch to LED lighting is expected to make the campus both safer, and more energy-efficient.

It is estimated that the college’s LED upgrade project, which was largely funded by Proposition 39, will save the college a minimum of $25,000 in energy expenses each year.

The increased light intensity of LED fixtures in college parking lots will also improve visibility, creating safer conditions for students, faculty, and staff during evening hours.

“Lower operating costs and the new control system will allow us to have more control over the amount of time the lights are on,” said Karrat. “The new LED lights also have dimming capabilities, which will help save energy during off-hours.”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, LED lighting can be six to seven times more energy-efficient than incandescent lighting and can cut energy use by more than 80 percent.

In addition, LED lights are longer lasting than incandescent light bulbs, burning more than 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs.

Proposition 39, also known as The California Clean Energy Jobs Act, was passed in 2012 in part to allocate revenue to the Clean Energy Job Creation Fund, as well as California’s General Fund.

Proposition 39 funds can be appropriated to support eligible projects that promote energy efficiency and the use of clean energy in schools.