New York City to get LED Streetlights, Save $14 Million Every Year

Under a new city policy introduced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Department of Transportation, New York City will replace its 250,000 street lights with light-emitting diode lamps (LEDs) by 2017, reports the Wall Street Journal website.  The city’s conversion to LEDs will be the largest of its kind in the world and is expected to save the city and its taxpayers $14 million a year in power and maintenance costs.

In contrast to the old sodium lights, which had a lifetime expectancy of six years, the LED fixtures are more sustainable and can last up to 20 years.  The Department of Transportation has already begun the changeover process by installing the new fixtures in Central Park’s walkways. The DOT estimates that replacing the Eastern Parkway pedestrian lights alone will cut power use by 248,000 kilowatt-hours a year and save the city $70,000.

“With roughly a quarter-million street lights in our City, upgrading to more energy efficient lights is a large and necessary feat,” said Mayor Bloomberg in an official statement.  “It will save taxpayers millions of dollars, move us closer to achieving our ambitious sustainability goals, and help us to continue reducing City government’s day-to-day costs and improving its operations.”

Although the city is estimated to spend $79 million replacing the lights, the project is expected to pay for itself within six years through energy and maintenance savings.  New York City has a record of leading the U.S. in LED installation; the city was the first major metropolitan area in the United States to use LEDs in traffic signals. 

The Chanler Group is actively engaged in the review and analysis of incentive-based .renewable energy programs to determine potential benefits to our clients.  Global energy consumption continues to increase each year and, with this increase, the demand for safe, clean, and unlimited energy is on the rise.  The Federal and State governments promote this interest through a variety of financially-beneficial incentives.  Our understanding of these laws allows us to guide homeowners, businesses, and/or developers through the various ways to take advantage of these incentive-based benefits.  With the appreciation that renewable energy laws and regulations are constantly changing, The Chanler Group is committed to investing in its understanding and practice of this area of law.

Photo Credit: Alan Turkus, used under a Creative Commons license.