Ann Arbor Approves a LED conversions for over 4,000 streetlights

Ann Arbor is advancing a significant project to convert over 4,000 streetlights to energy-efficient LED lights. Recently City Council unanimously approved a $980,000 carbon-reduction grant from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, supplemented by $270,000 from the city’s climate-action millage funds.

This initiative is expected to save the city more than $300,000 annually in energy costs. Council Member Lisa Disch, D-1st Ward, expressed confidence in the project, highlighting its benefits for safety and dark sky preservation.

The streetlights, owned by DTE Energy and leased to the city, will be converted more rapidly than DTE’s gradual transition plan. The city will order custom lights with specific color temperatures and wattages preferred by city staff.

City staff emphasized the urgency of meeting a September 30 deadline to comply with grant requirements, prompting swift council action. The council had previously delayed the decision in July due to concerns from dark-skies advocates about the brightness of the proposed 58-watt LEDs for neighborhood streets, suggesting instead the use of 29-watt LEDs for those areas and reserving 58-watt LEDs for major corridors.