Electricians installed the last light-emitting diodes

A four-year project aimed at lightening electricity bills and lighting the way for seafarers in San Diego has been completed by the Coast Guard.

On Tuesday, electricians installed the last light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, in the San Diego area to fully update and “revolutionize” the region’s navigation aid system.

The green, red and white LEDs are used to mark channels on and above the water to allow safe passage to boats and other water users. They replace incandescent bulbs, which are similar to bulbs used in cars and homes.

The new technology has been fitted to all 64 buoys and “primary” aids in San Diego and Mission bays, and near Oceanside and San Clemente Island.

Petty Officer Melvin Zebrow-ski, officer in charge of the Coast Guard’s Aids and Navigation Team in San Diego, said the system is a big improvement.

“

In the long run

, it’s going to save money, time and manpower, and, of course, it will also provide a really good service to the mariner,” Zebrowski said. “It’s basically an upgrade of what we had here previously and it’s certainly going to be more reliable.

“The project has revolutionized the system.”

A major milestone in the project came in February when the electricians installed a Led ceiling light array at the historic Point Loma lighthouse, removing an incandescent lamp that had been installed in 1999.

The smart technology is much more energy-efficient and cost-effective. Thanks to a sensor, the new LED beam at the lighthouse switches on at dusk and blinks out at dawn. The old one ran around the clock.

It means the working lighthouse will cost 48 cents a day to operate instead of $4.60, according to Coast Guard estimates.

“This is a major technological upgrade,” said Executive Petty Officer James Coleman, another member of the Coast Guard team. “We’ve replaced ’60s technology with today’s technology.”

For years, a Coast Guard team came out every three months to change six incandescent bulbs and check the foghorn, mounted on a wall in front of the lighthouse.

The process took hours.

Now, they’ll still come out quarterly to inspect the setup. They’ll time the blinking of the beacon; test the foghorn; and wash the windows — but they won’t have to swap the bulbs.

The Coast Guard thinks the long-running LEDs will last almost indefinitely without needing replacement.

The new lighthouse beacon will emit a brighter light, but with a shorter range.

The former bulbs could be seen from 24 miles away. The LEDs have a range of only 14 miles, but the Coast Guard says that’s still plenty of warning for mariners.

Something that hasn’t changed is the cadence of the Point Loma light. The signature of the lighthouse is a pulse of light every 15 seconds.

It lets mariners know they are approaching Point Loma, not Dana Point or San Pedro, Coast Guard officials said.