Street Lighting Pilot Project for Gary, Ind.

Part of a $935,200 stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will pay for a street lighting retrofit in Gary, Ind.

Gary, Indiana plans to get more energy-efficient with its street lighting, replacing the old lamps with LEDs.

The city will start with a pilot project of 200 streetlights, changing the voltage from 200 to 120. The city has over 1,100 poles. If all those were changed, that in of itself would be a 50 percent savings, according to Joel Rodriguez, the director for Gary’s newly founded Department of Energy Efficiency and Conservation. Rodriguez estimates the city now spends about $340 a year per light pole in electrical costs. He estimates the city would save $30,900 on electricity every year.

The “regular” streetlights last three to four years, but the LEDs are
purported to last 10 years, which would obviously be a significant savings
in maintenance.

The street lighting pilot project will start mid-spring and run two years, a requirement of the $935,200 stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy that is funding the street lighting project, plus energy audits and retrofits of municipal buildings and energy audits for 1,000 qualified homeowners. As part of the current grant, Gary will also establish a revolving no-interest loan fund for commercial projects to encourage and fund energy-saving projects.

Rodriguez hopes to receive more grant funding to retrofit all the city’s street lighting to more energy-efficient LEDs.