There are approximately 4.96 million municipal street lights in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region using 3.17 TWh of electricity annually. These street lights are composed primarily of High Pressure Sodium (HPS), Metal Halide (MH), and Mercury Vapor (MV) technology, but Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology is now capable of cost-effectively replacing traditional street light technologies. LEDs use less than half the energy consumed by traditional lights and last significantly longer. If all street lights in the region are converted to LED technology and combined with advanced controls, 1.76 TWh of energy could be saved. Throughout the region, cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia are converting their street lights to LEDs, yet significant technical, regulatory, and financial barriers to widespread conversion remain for most municipalities in the region.
This report assesses the current status of LED street light conversion barriers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. It provides a quantitative analysis of the regional street lighting efficiency opportunity and a recommended strategy to address the barriers and achieve large scale conversion. Finally, the report provides information on activities and progress across the region to install LED street lighting.