By a vote of 11-1, the Kansas City Council passed an ordinance for a contract to replace 84,000 city streetlights with LED lights. The replace project will begin this May and is expected to take three years to complete.
Kansas City joins other cities, including Seattle, Las Vegas, Austin, Texas and Los Angeles, that have converted their streetlights to LED. It is the first time Kansas City has conducted a citywide upgrade of its streetlight system since 1997. Kansas City has a total of 98,000 streetlights.
This innovative, cost-saving and energy-efficient project will bring many benefits to the City and citizen:
Longer lifespan: Standard streetlight bulbs need replacement about every four years, while LED lights last 10 years or more
Lower maintenance costs
Energy conservation: LEDs use up to 50% less energy than standard bulbs
Dramatically reduce carbon emissions (because of lower energy usage)
Safer streets and more visibility with better lighting
Generate savings $27 million over 10 years
