Seattle City Light is continuing to improve customer safety, reduce carbon emissions and conserve resources by converting streetlights on arterial roadways from high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights to energy-efficient LEDs. The new LED lights will make arterial streets safer by increasing visibility at night.
City Light installed about 40,000 LED streetlights throughout residential neighborhoods in the utility’s service territory. The utility’s work is now focused on converting the remaining arterial streetlights to LED fixtures. By the end of 2015, the utility expects to convert about 12,000 HPS lights to LED fixtures and save about 9 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year – enough energy to power more than 1,000 homes for a year. It will also save over $1.8 million dollars for the City of Seattle and the utility’s suburban franchise cities.
The City of Seattle sets regulations based on national standards for how much light should be provided on roadways to maintain safe driving conditions and ensure pedestrian safety. City Light has a responsibility to follow those standards. As a result, arterial classified roadways require a higher wattage LED than residential street lighting.
Arterial conversion work began in late March 2015. City Light’s contractor, Potelco, is working on Seattle’s arterial roadways between Denny Way and 65th Street. Working hours are 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. Minimal traffic and parking impacts are expected in the immediate work area. Depending on the progress, this phase of work may extend north to 145th Street. See the included map for more details. It is expected that all City of Seattle arterial roadways will be completed within two to three years.
For more information about this project, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/light/streetlight/led/.
Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to about 750,000 Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.
Arterial conversion work will cover Seattle’s arterial roadways between Denny Way and 65th Street (highlighted in red). Depending on progress, this phase of work may extend north to 145th Street (highlighted in green).