CityofGoleta
Source: City of Goleta
The City of Goleta is pleased to share our LED Street Lighting Project is now complete! Installation began in September, and the project included installing approximately 1,400 energy efficient LED lights throughout Goleta. Other than a small number of special exceptions, the implementation of these new lights is complete.
City of Goleta Public Works Department Project Manager, Michael Winnewisser, said, “After many months of working on this project, I am pleased to share with the community that the installation phase is complete. We hope all residents are pleased with their new lights and appreciate their input and patience throughout this process. This project is one of the many ways the City is focusing on sustainability.”
The project is expected to save Goleta more than 345,000 kilowatt hours and approximately $115,000 annually. In addition to saving the City money, the new lights will require less maintenance and provide clearer lighting.
To see a video overview of the project, click here to watch in English or Spanish.
If you are curious if a light near you was replaced, you can learn more at www.CityofGoleta.org/LEDStreetlights where you can find a map of the project replacement locations.
If you wish to request a shield on a light near you, or if you have any other questions or comments, please contact Project Manager Michael Winnewisser at (805) 690-5120 or mwinnewisser@cityofgoleta.org.
Background:
The LED Street Lighting Project took root in 2017. After long negotiations with Southern California Edison, in 2020 the City acquired the streetlights and began looking into different LED options for our community. In January 2021, the City conducted a pilot study to get community input. Based on feedback from the pilot study, Green Committee, and Virtual Town Hall, the City selected GE fixtures that are 2700K color temperature streetlights. On July 20, 2021, Goleta City Council approved the replacements and the fixtures were ordered the next day.
It would be interesting to know the life expectancy of these replacements as well as the cost of the project. Is the $115K savings enough to recover the cost in the life of the replacement parts? Or might it have been better to replace the lights as needed over time? I applaud the idea but would like to know the economics of it.
True for all pay-to-save plans. Recovery time and interest paid instead of earned is a major consideration in the economic effect of a project. Think what student loans & interest have done to ex-students in low-paying fields. Few people understand compound interest or they wouldn’t carry a balance on credit cards barring disaster. Tt’s delusional to take on high debt if the most you can hope to earn is a poverty-level or irregular income. Same for government projects, esp those expected to operate at a loss after figuring in maintenace & admin salaries.