Replace the city's existing street lighting with Dark Sky-compliant LEDs, modifying any city franchise/utility agreement and adding smart grid attributes.
Best Practice of this action
Rating Guideline
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Negotiate phased-in LED replacement of existing street lighting technology not owned by the city; replace 1/3 of lights. |
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Include in a utility franchise or contract mandatory lamp replacement with LEDs; assure all lighting is Dark-Sky compliant; replace 2/3 of lights; use B3 to track energy use of street lighting whose electricity bills the city pays. |
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Replace 100% of lights; estimate and report annual cost/energy/maintenance savings of replacements; report smart grid attributes of street lighting and light poles (such as auto/sensor dimming, video display panels). |
Resources
- Note that the Minnesota Buildings, Benchmarks and Beyond (B3) website allows cities to track energy use of street lighting whose electricity bills the city pays.
- Franchise agreements represent a largely unused opportunity for municipalities to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy, and some franchise agreements even create disincentives for energy efficiency.
- The comprehensive listing of LED streetlight resources by CERTs covers paybacks, bulb longevity, light trespass, maintenance cost savings, total cost-savings calculators, research in Minnesota, 'how-to' manuals, specifications and more.
- Use the International Dark-Sky Association Bad Streetlights guide to promote reduced/smarter outdoor lighting. See the GreenStep Dark Skies best practices for more.
Order Number
3
Action Type
Finite