When the Lights Go On in the City

They've made their way into our kitchen appliances, cars, airplanes, holiday decorations and now our streetlights--LED, or light emitting diodes, have been integrated in all aspects of consumer and commercial life.

In recent weeks, the City of Belmont has begun installing LED streetlight, replacing the existing high-pressure sodium vapor lights. 

According to director, Afshin Oskoui, the LED Streetlight Conversion Project calls for the replacement of 238 light fixtures. "To date our contractor has replaced 192 lights. Additional fixtures are on back order and are estimated to be delivered in mid-February."

Theses new lights will provide lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved robustness, smaller size, and faster switching. 

Oskoui explained that these replacement lights should provide approximately $13,500 in annual energy cost savings to the city and a reduction of CO2 emissions of 57,800 pounds per year.

In the first phase of the project, which was approved by the Belmont City Council in September 2011, lights were replaced along El Camino Real, Ralston Avenue, Alameda de las Pulgas, Shoreway Road, Island Parkway, Davis Drive and Sem Lane.

Oskoui hopes to expand the project into residential neighborhoods.

"I look forward to discussing this conversion with neighborhood groups, and am looking for other grant funds to make this conversion citywide as resources and funding allows," said Oskoui.

The initial phase of the project was funded through the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG).  Target project completion is the end of February.