With a quarter of a million street lights, New York City is always lit up. In less than four years, they’ll be lit up the right way.
New York City is transitioning its 250,000 street lights to energy-efficient LEDs in an upgrade that should be completed by 2017. CBS reports that Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the timeframe today, noting that the upgraded lights will save city taxpayers around $14 million a year once the transition is complete. The savings is two-fold: LEDs consume less power than their high-pressure sodium counterparts, resulting in around $6 million in savings, and they also have a much longer lifespan, lasting up to 20 years. Current street lights last an average just six years, Bloomberg said.