diode (LED) street lighting. More than 14,000 mercury-vapor street and roadway luminaires are being replaced in Boston neighborhoods by LED lighting by Philips. City leaders expect these lights to improve the city's energy use and environmental footprint.
The LED's are expected to save the city approximately 8.9 million kilowatt hours of energy each year, yielding a savings of about $1.1 million annually in the cost of electricity.
"With these new LED street lights, Boston continues to live up to its reputation as one of the greenest cities in the country," says Mayor Thomas Menino. "Not only do these lights help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they also save the city money in tough economic times.”
The new lighting will help eliminate more than 5,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The project also coincides with the release of the City's updated climate action plan, "A Climate of Progress," which calls for reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions 25-percent by 2020.
Designed to last for about 18 years, or four times longer than the lamps they are replacing, the LED luminaires are also expected to generate considerable savings in maintenance costs for the city.
"This investment in LED lighting is aesthetically, environmentally and economically beneficial, a combination that all taxpayers can appreciate," says Gleen Cooper, associate electrical engineer, Street Lighting Division, city of Boston.
Installation is expected to be complete in December 2011.
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