What LEDs Did for Detroit

Detroit has seen some dark times over the past two decades, but this 139 square mile city future is brighter with the installation of 65,000 LED streetlights, replacing 88,000 broken down sodium streetlights. The cost of this infrastructure project was $185 million, paid for by the city and the state. This is $2,800 per streetlight. The project came in under budget and time. 

The results were fantastic:

• Under budget and on time,

• Detroit is saving more than $3 million in electric bills (while breakeven per pole is 61 years - the cost includes: the pole, aluminum wiring to discourage thieves who removed copper wiring in the sodium light poles, labor, and other costs associated with running electrical wire),

• Carbon emissions were cut by 40,000 tons per year or 11,000 cars off the streets. And lastly,

• Night life and safety are returning to the streets. 

This is an example of what LED lighting can do for urban areas. Couple this with the results of my previous blog on our home electrical savings; and you get one extremely cost effective, energy efficient, carbon footprint reducing set of benefits that every American and every human being should be pushing for. 

Source: NYT, Michael Kimmelman, January 12, 2017.