In America, more than 7,000 school lights are on for a year and a half

Energy costs fluctuate wildly during and after the pandemic, Osborne said, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly how much money is being spent on continuous lighting. “I would say the net impact is on average thousands of dollars a month,” Osborne said.

The financial assistant explained that the school uses highly efficient fluorescent and LED lighting. When possible, teachers manually remove light bulbs from classrooms, while staff turn off breakers not connected to the main system to turn off some outdoor lights.

In a letter to the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District last August, Wilbraham city councilors said keeping the lights on at school all the time would be a waste of taxpayer money.

“The film wastes time at a time when many families in the county’s serving communities are struggling with their own energy costs,” they wrote.

According to the school management, the issue will be resolved. Reflex Lighting Group president Paul Mustone said the parts needed to replace the lighting system have arrived from a factory in China and are expected to be installed by the school holidays in February.