City officials recently completed an ambitious project to outfit more than 100,000 streetlights throughout Los Angeles with energy and cost reducing LED lights. When the final street light was switched this month, Los Angeles became the first city in the world to retrofit its aging fleet of lights to more energy efficient bulbs.
The Bureau of Street Lighting's LED conversion program, which began in 2009, retrofitted 140,000 streetlights with the more cost efficient LED - light-emitting diodes - variety. Before the program began, the city's streetlights consumed 168 gigawatt hours of electricity, costing taxpayers $15 million a year while emitting 110,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. The new lights save Angelenos about $10 million a year, reduce energy use by 63.1 percent and slash carbon emissions by 47,000 metric tons a year.
Councilmember Krekorian, who got a first hand look last year as crews' retrofitted streetlights in North Hollywood, applauded the program's innovation in energy and cost savings for the city.
"Los Angeles is widely known as a center of innovation with a forward-looking commitment to sustainability, and this project is a great example of how we've earned that reputation," Councilmember Krekorian said.
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"The Bureau of Street Lighting's LED conversion program will save taxpayers money and enhance public safety, providing better lighting at less cost, while at the same time significantly reducing our carbon footprint. What we have done will be a model for cities across the United States and around the world. It is an inspiring example of how, even in difficult times, we can find creative solutions that allow city government to provide better services while still reducing costs."
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