Cities across the
The majority of our streetlights are called
“cobrahead” lights and use high-pressure sodium (HPS) bulbs. These lights get
the job done, but are costly to maintain because bulbs needs replacing
every five years. LED streetlights are estimated to be replaced every 20
years. These HPS bulbs use more electricity than LEDs,
which is costly and has environmental consequences because of how the
electricity is produced. LED streetlights use approximately 50 percent
less energy than our current lights. This will reduce our streetlight costs by approximately $2,000,000 per year because we’re using 18 million
fewer kilowatt hours of power. Consultants working on behalf of the Bureau
anticipate the change of our cobrahead lights to LED technology will keep
up to 10,500 tons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
The upfront costs to change out Portland ’s streetlights will be a major
expense, but result in a net savings of money for Portlanders in the end
due to lower electricity and maintenance costs. To pay the upfront costs, PBOT
has gotten approval from City Council to issue General Obligation bonds for replacing approximately 44,000 of the cobra head street lights.
A typical LED streetlight pays for itself in six
to eight years by reducing the power bill. Instead of replacing all of Portland ’s lights
this year, the city is going to get the most our of its current lights by
letting them operate for a few years before replacing them. Since the high-pressure
sodium lights have a five-year lifespan, we expect full replacement to
take less than five years.
Evaluation of conversion the more expensive ornamental street lights will be completed in the coming months. A plan will be developed to replace these lights in a financially practical approach.
Evaluation of conversion the more expensive ornamental street lights will be completed in the coming months. A plan will be developed to replace these lights in a financially practical approach.
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