Selma School System will save money on electrical costs once five schools are retrofitted with new florescent lights.

On Tuesday, the Selma City School Board approved a $106,674 contract with Frasier-Ousley to retrofit and re-lamp light fixtures at Knox Elementary, CHAT Academy, Payne Elementary, Kingston Elementary and Meadowview Elementary.

The project is financed by a grant from the Department of Energy through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, part of the governor’s office to distribute funds provided by Congress and the state Legislature.

Interim Superintendent Don Jefferson said the school system had wanted to revamp the lights in all its schools, but the federal government requires battery packs on the fixtures, which pushed up the price of the project past the grant amount.

The school system also was required to purchase American products, which also added to the price tag, said Ray Matthiews, director of auxiliary services for the Selma school system.

Work is expected to begin as soon as the school system receives a notice to proceed from the government, Matthiews said.

The work will save about 15 to 25 percent annually on the lighting cost portion of the school system’s power bill, which is usually the most expensive portion of a school’s electrical bill.

“The lighting is better and cheaper” Mattiews said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”