Newport council flips the switch on plan to convert 3,224 streetlights to LED
The Newport Beach City Council took the first step Tuesday night to retrofit thousands of streetlights to more fixtures considered more energy-efficient.
The council voted 6 to 0 to move forward with a plan to switch 3,224 of the city’s 5,000 streetlights to light emitting diode (LED) fixtures, which are said to reduce carbon emissions and last longer than the existing high-pressure sodium bulbs.
In a few months, staff will ask the City Council to select a contractor for the retrofit. The switch likely will begin in about four months and last up to six months, the city said.
“This is a great project,” said George Murdoch, the city’s general manager for utilities. “The energy and maintenance savings are significant. The lighting is also adjustable, so you can control how bright the light is and the direction it’s pointing. It’s a lot more flexible than what we have now.”
In 2013, the city partnered with The Energy Network, a group that evaluates where public agencies can implement projects for energy efficiency. The organization determined that Newport Beach could save money on energy bills and maintenance by changing the lights on streets the group identified, according to a city staff report.
LED bulbs emit a bright white hue and are said to last 15 to 20 years. The conversion is expected to save the city more than $155,000 annually on energy and maintenance, Murdoch said.
The current bulbs emit yellow light and usually burn out in three to five years. The city typically spends about $55,000 a year on maintenance, Murdoch said.
“As the quality of LED fixtures has improved, they’ve become ideal for streetlights,” said Rebecca Houser, a consultant with The Energy Network. “The truer light enhances public safety and gives greater visibility to constituents.”
The city already has LED fixtures on Irvine Avenue and Bayside Drive. LED lights in more of the city also will mean a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing 2,870 vehicles from the road, according to the city staff report.
The conversion initially will require the city to spend about $1.2 million from the general fund, but once the project is complete, Southern California Edison will reimburse nearly half the cost. The rest — estimated at nearly $617,000 — will be funded through an Edison program that enables public agencies to finance energy-efficient projects with no interest and to pay back the loan as part of their utility bills.
Murdoch said it will take the city about four years to pay back the loan. The annual savings from the LED bulbs will cover that cost, he said.
