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The city of Hillsboro is seeking more information about the efficiency of its street lights.

McKinstry, a self-described 鈥渇ull-service design, build, operate and maintain firm,鈥� is auditing up to 9,000 of the city’s street lamps to determine if replacing them with high-intensity LEDs would help achieve energy savings. City officials want to know whether the savings from switching to the LED lamps would be worth the cost over time.

鈥淭hey (LEDs) are at least 50 percent more efficient,鈥� said Michael Johnson, an operations manager at McKinstry. 鈥淭he life expectancy is also longer than a high-pressure sodium lamp.鈥�

Switching to LEDs could lead to fewer burned up lamps in area landfills.

The city is also working toward a 鈥渄ark sky鈥� initiative. The hope is to reduce light pollution by using more efficient lights and light shades, and achieve more efficient control over when the lights turn on and off.

鈥淲ith the new lights, it doesn’t lose light up; it forces it all down,鈥� Johnson said.

The audit is expected to finish by April. If the city decides to move forward with the project, replacing all lights could take up to a year.

鈥淲e should be starting installation in late summer and be wrapped up within a year,鈥� Johnson said.