By George Bryson | Anchorage Daily News

If you never learned to love the glow of Anchorage's pinkish-orange street lamps -- or the way some of them aim their way into your bedroom at night -- take heart.

Earlier this month, the Anchorage Assembly appropriated $2.2 million to phase out about a fourth of the city's street lamps, replacing the old energy-hog sodium bulbs with "smarter" fixtures that emit whitish, power-saving LED light.

Because the new lamps use about 50 percent less electricity than the old lights, the city expects to save $360,000 a year in energy costs alone, according to Mayor Mark Begich, who introduced the measure last month.

The new lights are also expected to last up to 20 years -- about seven times longer than the old high-pressure sodium bulbs, which burn out every two or three years, according to Michael Barber, the city's lighting program manager.

Read the complete story at adn.com