Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded a $50,000 grant to help the Demopolis city school system save energy and cut utility costs.

The grant will fund lighting and heating upgrades at U.S. Jones Elementary School.

“Improving the energy efficiency of our school buildings is a wise investment,” Bentley said. “Cutting energy expenditures will stretch taxpayer dollars and allow the school system to focus more resources on the classroom.

The school system will replace four broken heaters at Jones Elementary with new units that are energy efficient. Lighting fixtures in the school’s gymnasium will be replaced with improved models that produce an equivalent amount of light using lower wattage bulbs. The project also includes the installation of sensors that automatically turn lights off when the gym is unoccupied.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Energy.