287 Low-Income Households in Jungnim-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul Switch Lighting to LED

100 Low-Income Households in Jungnim-dong Replace Total 287 Existing Lights with High-Efficiency LED

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jungnim-dong in Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seo Yang-ho) will provide free replacement of old lighting fixtures for vulnerable groups in the area with high-efficiency LED lighting.

LED lighting has a lifespan more than five times longer than traditional fluorescent lamps and reduces power consumption by up to 50%, resulting in significant savings on electricity bills and maintenance costs.

However, due to the considerable installation costs, replacing lighting with LED is not an easy task for low-income households.

Accordingly, the Jungnim-dong Community Service Center has launched a project to replace up to three existing lighting fixtures per household, totaling 287 fixtures, with high-efficiency LEDs for 100 vulnerable households to achieve energy welfare through electricity bill reduction and improved living environments.

Earlier, from June to July, Jungnim-dong conducted demand and on-site surveys prioritizing elderly recipients among basic livelihood security households in the area and selected 100 households as the final support targets.

Subsequently, the performance standards, price, and after-sales service of LED lighting were comprehensively reviewed, and high-efficiency certified equipment, Korean Standard (KS), and eco-label products were selected. From early August, a specialized company began sequential replacements, with work scheduled to be completed by the 27th.

A Jungnim-dong official stated, "If the 287 replaced LED lights are used for 10 hours a day, it will save 55,498 kWh annually, approximately 5.5 million KRW, which we expect will benefit vulnerable groups in the area."

Since last year, Jung-gu has granted budget allocation authority to each neighborhood office to promote neighborhood government projects based on residents' participation. In Jungnim-dong alone, 20 projects reflecting residents' opinions were budgeted with over 1 billion KRW.

The district plans to continue expanding neighborhood government projects so that residents’ taxes can be used for projects they desire. This project was also proposed and selected directly by Jungnim-dong residents and is meaningful as it addresses the needs of vulnerable groups in the area.

Kim, an 88-year-old female senior who turned on the replaced LED lighting, said with a bright smile, "I thought it would naturally be dark since I live in a semi-basement, but I didn’t expect it to become this bright. With COVID-19 and the heatwave, I spend a lot of time at home, so it feels really good to have it bright."

Mayor Seo Yang-ho said, "On the surface, this project reduces electricity bills and improves living environments for vulnerable groups, but it is a meaningful project reflecting the warm interest and consideration of Jungnim-dong residents who proposed it for neighbors in need. I hope that under the changed lighting, people’s hearts will also brighten."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.