DENVER, Colo. -- Colorado transportation officials have found a cheap fix for the dark side of energy efficiency.

The same virtues that make LED traffic lights energy and money savers -- they generate more light than heat -- can also pose traffic hazards during snow storms.

That's because LED traffic lights don't create heat like traditional incandescent bulbs that helped melt snow blocking signal lights.

Snow-shrouded LED traffic lights have caused dozens of traffic accidents in frigid Midwestern states, including a fatal intersection collision in Illinois, according the Associated Press. Statistics on similar accidents in Colorado were not available Wednesday.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is expanding use of a low-tech, $20 device that prevents snow buildup from obscuring LED traffic lights.

The device, called a "Snow Scoop Tunnel Visor," is made by McCain Inc. in Vista, Calif. The round traffic light visor with a scoop-like vent and an open bottom funnels airflow across the signal lens, preventing snow from collecting.

"They've helped immensely in terms of keeping the snow off the traffic lights," said CDOT spokeswoman Mindy Crane. "It's not high-tech and it's very economical."

The devices are mostly installed on north-facing signals that are often blotted out by blizzards blowing "horizontal snow" from that direction.

"It can really help us and save time, so our folks don't have to go out and kind of put their lives at risk when they're having to battle traffic and winter conditions," Crane added. "Otherwise, we did have to go out and clean them by hand to get the snow off."

CDOT began installing the "Snow Scoops" around Colorado two years ago. Today 100 of the devices are installed on traffic signals, mostly in the snowy plains east of Denver, along Front Range foothill communities and up the Interstate 70 corridor into the high country.

"We're definitely looking at expanding," Crane said.

CDOT will soon install more of the devices on signals in the mountain town of Frisco. There's also plans to install them on signals along Wadsworth Boulevard between I-70 and Broomfield and on Federal Boulevard between 54th and 120th avenues.