The University of Maryland will switch lighting along McKeldin Mall this summer to increase brightness, reduce energy consumption and lower the amount of maintenance needed.

Eight 45-foot-poles, which each have two to three metal halide fixtures, will be replaced with eight 40-foot-poles, each having three to four LED fixtures, this university’s Facilities Management wrote in a statement to The Diamondback.

Metal halide lights use metal-halogen compounds and mercury to produce light, while LEDS produce light using electric current.

The Student Government Association’s annual safety walk found lighting levels were a concern among university community members, Facilities Management wrote. The change would mean a 20 to 30 times increase in lighting levels on McKeldin Mall, according to Facilities Management.

While crime or safety levels don’t have a clear relationship with brightness, studies have shown that perceived safety levels are often lower, and fear of crime higher, with poor lighting levels, Facilities Management wrote.

Sophomore microbiology major Maria Jose Flickinger said that while she already feels safe on McKeldin Mall, the lighting increase would help her feel more secure.

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“I definitely think that having the lights would definitely make me feel a lot more safer, especially as a woman,” Flickinger said.

Flickinger, who called herself an environmentalist, added that it’s important this university works toward being more energy efficient, especially because lights in some dorms are on “all the time.”

“Finding ways to cut costs and preventing the use of energy is definitely something important that I’m glad that campus recognized,” Flickinger said.

Olivia Linus, a junior cell biology and molecular genetics and chemistry major, said most students she knows feel relatively safe on campus, but she believes the new lights could help those who don’t.

“It’s easier to tell what’s going on when it’s lighter and I think that it’ll help people get home safe if they’re having trouble seeing,” she said.

Linus said a negative impact of the lighting change would be light pollution, but added that the measure is still energy efficient and increases safety.

Michael Ohadi, a professor of mechanical engineering and co-founder of the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering at this university, said LEDs are almost twice as energy efficient as metal halide lights and consume about a third of the energy metal halides require.

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The current metal halide lighting fixtures consume 20,000 total watts, while the proposed replacement fixtures would consume 11,680 watts, Facilities Management wrote. This would reduce the energy consumed by 42 percent, according to the statement.

LEDs’ lifespans are about five times longer than metal halides, Ohadi said. Metal halides can last about 10,000 to 20,000 hours, while LEDs can last about 50,000 to 100,000 hours, he explained.

“In all aspects, I think we can think that the LED lights beat the metal halides,” Ohadi said.

LED fixtures are typically more expensive than metal halides, Ohadi said. But it would only take about a year for users to see a return on this larger investment, he estimated.

The replacement is expected to be completed by the beginning of the upcoming fall semester, Facilities Management wrote.