(Mt. Vernon, Ill.) –Ameren Illinois employees partnered on Tuesday evening with Mount Vernon officials and local volunteers to replace standard incandescent lightbulbs with LED bulbs on the porches of approximately 100 local homes. Houses along 18th and 19th Street off of Perkins in Mount Vernon received the new porch lights as part of the Ameren Illinois “Brighten the Block” initiative. Brighten the Block aims to promote neighborhood safety while emphasizing energy efficiency. The new LED bulbs are brighter, use less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs. Residents who received the new LED bulbs can now create a safer environment by turning on their porch lights after dark without worrying about burning out their bulbs as frequently.  Participants in Tuesday evening’s event gathered beforehand for a short safety briefing and then divided into teams to exchange bulbs at houses along specific walking routes. Volunteers left packaged LED bulbs for residents who were not home during the event. Tuesday’s event was one of eight Brighten the Block events that Ameren Illinois is holding this spring across its entire service territory.