Philly starts replacing its street lights with efficient LEDs

The long-awaited conversion of more than 100,000 Philadelphia street lights to LEDs has started this month. The project is expected to improve safety and quality of life in places plagued by street light outages.

City officials say the project will also mean major energy savings and help reduce the city’s carbon footprint. The Philly Streetlight Improvement Project will convert 120,000 old, high-pressure sodium streetlights into a network of efficient, longer-lasting LED lights. By upgrading to better quality lights with a new lighting management system, residents will benefit from better visibility and faster lighting replacement times.

The quasi-governmental Philadelphia Energy Authority issued the bond to pay for the effort, which will cost over $90 million but is expected to save the city more than $200 million over the life of the project.