[caption id="attachment_227510" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Energize Delaware reach 10,000 lighting home installations for energy efficiency and to improve public safety. | PHOTO COURTESY OF ENERGIZE DELAWARE[/caption]

DOVER – Energize Delaware’s Lights On Delaware Strong Program has served 10,000 homes in high-risk communities in need of better lighting to increase energy-efficiency and improve public safety. The program brings dusk to dawn energy efficient LED lights that are installed on front and back porches. In unlit neighborhoods, solar powered motion detector floodlights are installed in residents’ backyards to provide additional safety. There is no charge for the lighting installs.

The HELP Initiative team works in communities to assist in reducing criminal activity and improving public safety.  Charlie Kistler, executive director of the HELP Initiative said, “the Lights-ON Campaign is administered, and managed by the HELP Initiative in collaboration with Energize Delaware who funds the program, and police chiefs in each town/city. The mission of the door-to-door campaign is to reduce concentrated areas of criminal activity and improve public safety by utilizing energy efficient LED lighting measures.”

Harold Stafford, HELP Initiative’s Board president stated, “The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Energize Delaware funds the HELP Initiative and money received from Governor Carney provided additional resources to this collective street-by-street, door-to-door Lights-ON Campaign to expand the provision of education sessions on energy conservation to residents participating in the campaign.”  He indicated, “The additional ARPA funds have enabled the HELP Initiative to provide more information to residents to increase public awareness of criminal activity, save energy, and demonstrate the importance of a unified community approach to public safety.”

“We are happy to work with the great team at the HELP Initiative. Our mission is to help people become more energy efficient. When we can give them a sense of increased safety too, that is a win-win for everyone. This program has now assisted over 10,000 homes, and still going strong," Tony DePrima, executive director of Energize Delaware, said in a statement.

The HELP Initiative team bring energy efficient lighting to mobile home parks, and neighborhood blocks in communities in each county. To date, they have serviced residences in Laurel, Georgetown Seaford, Milford, Dover, Camden-Wyoming, Smyrna, Delaware City, Bear, Newark, Middletown, Greenwood, and East/West Wilmington and soon Harrington.