Residents across Barrington may have noticed a slight change with the streetlights in front of their homes recently. 

That's because the town is in the process of replacing all 1,800 streetlights across Barrington with LED bulbs — a move that will save money in the long run and allow for better control of the lights. 

Barrington honored as a safe town for pedestrians.

According to town planner Phil Hervey, the contractor hired to install the new lights is nearly finished with the work. As of Wednesday afternoon, the contractor, who was spotted working on Sowams Road, had installed 1,484 of the LED bulbs.

The process of converting the streetlight to more efficient bulbs started more than a year ago, when the town council approved the town's purchase of all the streetlights from National Grid. That cost taxpayers about $50,000, but there has been a trade-off — in the past, the town had budgeted about $230,000 annually to National Grid for maintenance of the lights. 

Officials estimated that the town was paying about $95 per light in maintenance costs. That price dropped to around $10 per bulb when the town purchased the streetlights.

While there was a cost to converting the lights, the town had applied for a $105,000 grant to off-set the costs. 

The streetlights had been previously fitted with incandescent bulbs but the LED lights are reportedly more energy- and cost-efficient. They also allow officials more control — once the installation is complete, the lights can be dimmed or brightened. 

"They can be turned up, if you want the streets brighter for Halloween or if there's an accident in a certain area," said Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha.

The LED lights carry a 10-year warranty and are projected to last up to 20 years. The incandescent lights last about five years. 

Barrington was reportedly the first town in the state to purchase its streetlights from National Grid.