The City of Los Angeles boasts that it is "lighting the way" in the nationwide conversion to LED street lighting. Indeed, in July 2015 Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL) Director Ed Ebrahimian reported that among LA's 215,000 street lights, 161,500 had been retrofit to LED; over two-thirds. The vast majority of these are modern-style cobrahead fixtures that cut energy use by more than two thirds. On top of $8.5 million in annual electricity savings, the LED street lights reduce LA's carbon emissions by about 60,000 metric tons every year.
Remaining in the vanguard, Los Angeles has begun an even more challenging, second phase. The bureau is now retrofitting some 50,000 decorative and ornamental post-tops and pendants. These luminaires come in various wattages in 400 styles; many are highly ornate poles and fixtures manufactured in the twenties, thirties, and forties. "Different fixture styles have been installed in different neighborhoods, representing the historic fabric of the city. My goal is to make sure we preserve these treasures," said Ebrahimian. "We want to make the change to LED to realize the energy efficiency benefits without changing the look of the fixtures."
|