Phoenix residents are experiencing improved visibility on city streets after the conversion to LED streetlights.
The city of Phoenix completed a citywide conversion of nearly 100,000 standard streetlights to energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) units. This conversion is one of the largest completed by any U.S. city.
“As the fifth largest city and fastest growing city in the nation, I want to make Phoenix a model of sustainability for communities across the country,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “These new LED streetlights not only bring us one step closer to that goal, they also provide tremendous annual cost-savings for residents.”
The conversion was approved by Phoenix City Council after several years of testing and evaluation of various LED streetlights. Based upon community input and the evaluations, Phoenix adopted 2,700 kelvin as the standard kelvin level for Phoenix’s new LED streetlights, which is considered a warmer color temperature for LED lights.
The new LED streetlights are anticipated to save the city approximately $3.5 million in annual energy costs. By switching to more energy efficient LED fixtures, the city reduced the amount of electricity needed to illuminate the streets by approximately 53 percent. This reduction prevents emissions of up to 18,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year — the equivalent of taking 3,800 cars off the road.
LED streetlights also have longer lifespans and produce better light quality than the previously used high pressure sodium streetlights. In addition to substantial energy savings, the LED fixtures will reduce maintenance expenses over their service life. Each of the nearly 100,000 new fixtures comes with a ten-year warranty.
LED technology can also improve roadway visibility and safety due to the improved distribution of light compared to high pressure sodium streetlights. Improved visibility has been linked to a reduction in crime and increased pedestrian safety.
The city encourages the public to report streetlight outages, repair requests and other concerns to phoenix.gov/atyourservice by clicking on the “Streetlight Repair Request” form or by calling the streetlight hotline at 602-495-5125. Learn more about the Street Transportation Department at phoenix.gov/streets and follow the department on Twitter @StreetsPHX.
