A US city invested 2.25 million USD to transform LED street lights

A few days ago, according to US media reports, the city of Elgin, Illinois, plans to install LED street lights. City officials said installing LED street lights is expected to save money and provide better, more environmentally friendly lighting. Aaron Neal, head of public works, said that about $2.25 million (about 15.62 million RMB) of investment will be recovered within five to six years.

The city said that the annual electricity bill for streetlights is about $900,000 to $1.1 million. However, after upgrading LED street lights, a rough estimate of annual savings of about $400,000 (about 2.78 million RMB).

In addition to energy savings, the city also wants to reduce maintenance costs, because the reliability of LED street lights is greatly improved compared to the metal halide lamps currently used in cities, and the lifespan is greatly extended.

In addition, the city intends to use the power company ComEd's energy efficiency plan to pay a one-time reimbursement of $0.70 for each watt by replacing the LED.

Before the budget was approved, Neal said he plans to seek vendor advice by the end of January. These suppliers will conduct streetlight audits, provide LED lights and install them. He hopes to start installation in June or July.