Municipal LED Street Lighting Comes to Berkeley, California

university-california-berkeley
UC Berkeley (via Wikimedia Commons)

The city of Berkeley is the latest in California to add LED street lighting in its neighborhoods. Supported by the California Lighting and Technology Center at the University of California, Davis and the Bay Area Climate Collaborative’s Next Generation Streetlight Initiative, the city will finish replacing about 8,000 traditional street lights with decorative LED street lighting by the end of 2014.

These outdoor LED lighting projects represent the most recent in a statewide effort to provide improved street lights. Benefits of LED versus conventional street lights include:

  • Better efficiency. Compared to older lights, LED lights utilize 65 to 80 percent less energy, reducing each town’s carbon output.
  • Longer life. The new LED street lights last 10 years or longer, a significant improvement over the old bulbs. Cities will now save money on supplies and labor, as well as keep workers safer.
  • Brighter light. LED street lights cast a more vibrant, less yellow light, providing greater visibility for pedestrians and drivers alike.

The initiative cost about $3.5 million, which the city intends to repay the loan from the state using the roughly $400,000 per year they will save in energy costs. PG&E energy saving programs will also contribute $650,000 in rebates.

Contact Us Today for CalTrans Approved LED Lighting

This is an exciting time for Berkeley residents, and Great Basin Lighting is delighted to be part of the LED lighting revolution in California and Nevada. For more information about our services, contact us today at (925) 240-1566 (CA) or (775) 333-0900 (NV), or simply fill out our online contact form.