Multnomah County’s Department of Community Services (DCS) has a goal of upgrading 2,200 streetlights to LEDs by late spring 2016. With 50 units being upgraded every day, you may have already noticed these brighter, more modern-looking lights lining our roads. But did you know that even though they are brighter, these LEDs use far less energy and last about four times as long as those older, orange-colored lights?
The upgraded LEDs in Multnomah County’s residential areas produce energy savings up to 70 percent. That all adds up to over 1,100 megawatt hours (MWh) of savings per year, which is enough to power over 100 homes each year.
In addition to saving energy, each new LED is expected to last 15-20 years. This lengthy lifespan will provide even greater cost savings by reducing the number of maintenance trips taken by DCS staff.
“All of these benefits will enable DCS to develop a proactive maintenance schedule that provides the best service possible for county constituents while freeing up more time and resources for other infrastructure work,” says Tom Hansell, Mid-County Street Lighting District Administrator.
DCS’s installation of these new lights is directly in support of the 2015 Climate Action Plan, goal 19E.
