Anchorage, Alaska, to Install 16,000 LED Streetlights. Will Save $360,000 per Year.
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.31.08
LED Streetlights in Anchorage, Alaska
We told you that LED streetlights were coming. The latest town to get them is Anchorage, Alaska. The municipality,
along with Cree, Inc, a maker of LED lights, are planning to change 16,000 municipal roadway lights with
high-efficiency LED fixtures (about 1/4 of total streetlights).
Bigger Benefits Up North
Because Anchorage has 85 days a year with less than 8 hours of daylight, any benefit over the tradition lighting
architecture are compounded. Read on for technical benefits of LED streetlights.
Anchorage at night.
The mayor of Anchorage said:
We have studied new lighting technology extensively over the past several months to validate energy and
maintenance cost savings. We also conducted a lighting conference and public survey in March of this year
that showed our residents overwhelmingly approve of the new white LED lighting.
Benefits of LED streetlights
The LED fixtures are expected to use 50% less energy than current streetlights, which could save the city
$360,000 per year at the current energy prices. The cost of the project is 2.2 million dollars. "The LED
fixtures, based on performance-leading Cree XLamp(r) LEDs, typically last up to seven times longer than
high-pressure sodium fixtures, allowing Anchorage to better utilize maintenance resources." And the quality of
light should also be better, though people will need to get used to it at first.
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