Things will look a little bit brighter for the Nor-Mac Centre in Macgregor this fall. The Municipality of North Norfolk is pursuing a project that would switch out the lighting at the facility, from traditional bulbs to LED. Mayor Neil Christoffersen says the initial proposal aimed to only change the lighting in the rink, but the possible savings led to their decision to also change the lights at the curling club. Christoffersen says they current lights cost thousands of dollars per year, and they're looking at saving quite a bit of money by making the change.

"It's a more intense lighting, but we figure we're going to save between five and six thousand dollars a year in utility payments. Also, you get a better lighting and these lights last a long time, so the replacement costs aren't there either, for the manpower to do that. The bulbs last about 20 years."

While the LED lighting will lead to long-term savings, Christoffersen admits the initial installation doesn't come cheap. He notes the initial investment will be quite high, but long-term savings and a program through Manitoba Hydro make it a good investment.

"The quotes come in, to do the whole rink for lighting and labour is over $50,000. However, we get a substantial part of that back from Hydro with the grants,"

Overall Christoffersen says they're excited for the changes, noting it will be interesting to see how the new lighting makes the facility look later this year.