Beginning Monday, October 8, Schneider Electric will begin replacing close to 27,000 of the City’s outdated high-pressure sodium and metal halide streetlights with light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures. Installation will begin on arterial and collector streets, and the project is scheduled to be completed in one year. Residents can find updated project schedules at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: led).
According to Frank Uhlarik, Sustainability and Compliance Manager for the City, the $12.2 million project is designed to improve safety and provide significant annual savings attributable to lower energy and maintenance costs. Under the City’s contract with an Energy Savings Company (ESCO) such as Schneider Electric, the energy and maintenance savings are guaranteed by the ESCO to help pay for the streetlight upgrades.
“We’re excited to further our commitment to sustainability and save taxpayer dollars,” said Mayor Chris Beutler. “We will use the cost savings on this project to pay for the improvements, and then we’ll invest them in other important initiatives to make our community safer and more attractive to residents, businesses and visitors.”
Converting street lights to LED technology is one of the energy strategies identified in the Lincoln Environmental Action Plan, which was approved last year. Uhlarik said the LED conversion project offers the following benefits:
- LEDs offer improved light quality to improve visibility and safety.
- LEDs are highly energy efficiency, which reduces energy consumption and the environmental impact.
- LEDs have a longer lifespan compared to traditional street lamps, reducing maintenance costs.
- LEDs improve aesthetics by creating a more uniform lighting experience throughout the City.
Uhlarik said the City will install two different LED fixtures, depending on location and function. The two fixtures have different Kelvin numbers, which is the measure of color temperature emitted by a fixture. “Based on resident feedback regarding brightness, the lights installed in neighborhoods will be 3000 Kelvin, which appear to be less bright than the 4000 Kelvin fixtures installed on arterial streets,” he said.
Uhlarik said the LED conversion project will also have a positive environmental impact on the community by reducing the City’s annual kilowatt hours by 10.7 million and removing 3.9 million pounds of carbon from the atmosphere. This is equivalent to planting 180,891 trees or removing 1,224 cars from the road. Additionally, Schneider Electric will recycle a majority of the materials from the existing street lights.
“We are proud to help the City of Lincoln undertake this critical infrastructure project that will dramatically improve safety for City residents and make a lasting positive impact on the environment,” said Tammy Fulop, Vice President, Schneider Electric. “At Schneider Electric, we are committed to helping municipalities in the Midwest and beyond achieve their vision for infrastructure improvements and sustainability without burdening local taxpayers.”
For more information on the LED conversion project, visit lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: conversion) or contact Uhlarik at fuhlarik.lincoln.ne.gov or 402-441-7588. For more information on Schneider Electric, visit schneider-electric.us/enable.
Keith N. Larsen - Lincoln NE 