Lompoc wants to help city residents and business owners light up Lompoc with a festive but energy-conscious glow this holiday season.

For the fifth consecutive year, the city will offer an LED holiday light exchange program, urging the community to swap out old, dangerous, inefficient holiday light strings for new LED holiday lights.

The program aims to assist residents and businesses in reducing energy use and saving money on utility bills.

Replacing traditional incandescent holiday lights with LEDs is a quick and easy way to keep energy bills low through the holidays, the city said.

LED holiday lights are exceptionally energy efficient, using about 75% less energy than conventional incandescent light strings, allowing up to 20 strings to be connected without overloading a wall socket, the city reports.

LEDs are also cooler than incandescent lights and are made with epoxy lenses, reducing the risk of fire, burnt fingers and broken lights during the holidays.

City of Lompoc electric utility customers may exchange up to five old holiday light strings for new LED holiday lights at Lompoc City Hall, 100 Civic Center Plaza, during normal business hours, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

(Note: City Hall will be closed Nov. 27-28, Dec. 25-26, and Jan. 1 and 19.)

Exchange program participants will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a variety of LED Christmas yard decorations, a Christmas tree, and other energy-conserving items.

To participate in the exchange program, Lompoc utility customers must bring a current utility bill, a photo ID, and their old holiday lights to City Hall.

Customers are limited to five new light string replacements per utility account. The replacement program is on a first-come, first-served basis and will be available until Jan. 30, or while supplies last.

There is no cost to utility customers to participate in the holiday light exchange program, as the program is funded by public benefit resources accumulated through a dedicated, state-mandated 2.85% charge applied to electric customer revenues.

Direct questions about the program to the Lompoc Utility Conservation Division, 805-875-8252.