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Los Angeles Street Lighting

A pioneering LED streetlight retrofit project in Los Angeles proved the twin energy cost and emissions reductions achievable for cities involved in CCI’s Outdoor Lighting Program. "I am proud that the Clinton Climate Initiative is helping the City of Los Angeles replace 140,000 streetlights with LED units at a time when energy cost savings are just as important as saving our planet," President Clinton said. "This partnership is a tremendous example of how cities can cut costs, while also making a significant impact in the fight against climate change. I thank Mayor Villaraigosa and the city for their leadership."

A partnership between CCI and Los Angeles, the project will be the largest streetlight retrofit undertaken by a city to date, replacing traditional streetlights with environmentally friendly LED lights. It will reduce CO₂ emissions by 40,500 tons and save $10 million annually, through reduced maintenance costs and 40% energy savings.

Street lighting costs represent one of the largest components of a city government’s utility bill, often accounting for 10 percent to 38 percent of the total bill. With nearly 35 million street lights in the United States, about 1 percent of all electricity is used by street lighting systems. Los Angeles’ streetlights use 168 gigawatt hours of electricity at an annual cost of $15 million, emitting 120,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

CCI’s lighting project got underway in early 2008, when the Mayor’s Office established a working relationship with CCI to study the Mayor’s environmental initiatives. Thereafter the Mayor’s Office and the Bureau of Street Lighting collaborated directly with CCI’s Outdoor Lighting Program to review the latest technology, financing strategies and public private implementation models for LED retrofits. CCI’s modeling and technology analysis, as well as its financial advisory, served as key reference sources for the development of this comprehensive retrofit plan.

"This project showcases how government can address environmental and economic challenges with creative problem-solving," said Ed Ebrahimian, General Manager of the Bureau of Street Lighting. "The Bureau of Street Lighting is proud to play a part in greening Los Angeles." To be completed within five years, the project is funded through a combination of energy rebates, the street lighting assessment fund and loans - which will be repaid over seven years entirely through savings in energy and maintenance costs. In the eighth year, after the loan is repaid, the City will save $10 million annually through the more efficient and modern LED lighting.

While typical streetlight lamps will last from four to six years, LED fixtures have a longer life span, estimated from 10 to 12 years. The new LED streetlight units are more durable and damage-resistant than other technologies, greatly reducing the City’s maintenance costs and providing more reliable lighting for City residents. The new LED fixtures will also be installed with remote monitoring units which will automatically report streetlight failures directly to the Bureau of Street Lighting for immediate repair.

CCI currently is building upon its efforts with Los Angeles and working with other cities on large-scale street lighting retrofit projects.

“This project should open doors for many other Outdoor Lighting projects globally,” notes Robert Koenig, CCI’s Outdoor Lighting Program Co-Director. “The City of Los Angeles has drawn for us a template for innovative, cost-effective street lighting: improved reliability, reduced light pollution, and energy savings that begin when the very first fixture is installed. And, when the operational savings accumulate as quickly as they do in Los Angeles, financing becomes less an impediment than an opportunity. Hopefully CCI’s Outdoor Lighting Program can help other cities to see and seize these opportunities.”

Announcing the project with President Clinton on February 16, 2009, Mayor Villaraigosa said, "I want to thank President Clinton who was instrumental in making the green street light program happen, and of course for his leadership, which has rallied the resolve of the entire world community to halt global climate change."

If Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa’s enthusiasm is any indication of how other cities will receive CCI’s Outdoor Lighting Program, the future looks bright indeed.