City of Phoenix exploring LED street light change

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - The City of Phoenix is planning to upgrade it's lights around town. City officials want to replace all 90,000 street and park lights with LED lights.

City officials say switching to LED lights will save energy and money in the long run. The city has been testing the new lights on Roosevelt. The project is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars, but the city wants input on how bright of an LED bulb they should go with.

Not all lights are created equal, and the city has been testing new LED lights in certain areas of Phoenix.

"Saving energy, of course, is a good idea," said Daniel Mills.

Most Phoenix residents FOX 10 spoke with support the LED conversion. City officials say it would cut the energy bill by about $2 million a year.

It will cost between $250 to $400 to replace one streetlight, so the entire project is estimated to cost more than $20 million.

Transportation officials say they're still working on a plan to pay for the project and ultimately the city council will vote on it. But they want input on the level of brightness.

"Because we're doing all 90,000 lights within the city, we have one time to get it right, and so what we really want to do is ensure we make the right selection," said Charlene Reynolds.

The city has photos that depict the existing lights and two options the city is considering. It lets people see the differences and residents have different opinions.

"I like the LED lights, I like the ones that are more bluish and concentrated, it has more clarity it seems," said Jim Haboush.

"It might be more aesthetically pleasing or more appropriate to have a light that is not so bright," said Daniel Mills.

Phoenix officials expect to finalize the plans on how to pay for the project later in 2016. It will then take about two years to replace the lights.

If you'd like to participate visit: https://www.phoenix.gov/streetssite/Pages/LED-Street-Lights.aspx