Oct 31, 2022 WARREN , A proposal to replace all city streetlights with energy-efficient LEDs potentially could save hundreds of thousand of dollars per year, according to a feasibility study done by a California-based company hired by the city.
Tanko Lighting recently presented a proposal to Warren City Council’s utility committee, encouraging officials to buy all of the city’s existing streetlights from Ohio Edison , and replace them with high energy, efficient LED streetlights.
Purchasing the 5,319 streetlights from Ohio Edison could cost as much as 0 per light, according to Jason Tanko, chief executive officer of Tanko Lighting.
The cost for the changeover to LEDs is estimated to be .7 million.
The per-fixture costs are projected to range from 9 per fixture to 6 per fixture, depending on how the replacements are financed.
Once the current high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor streetlights are replaced with LEDs, the city initially will begin to experience a small annual savings, which is expected to increase over time as energy costs continue to increase.
The city, however, will no longer be paying Ohio Edison for owning and maintaining the equipment. “Because we will be using less energy with the LEDs, the city will see its annual energy usage costs reduced,” Councilman Greg Greathouse, D-4th Ward, said.
Greathouse first proposed switching the streetlights to LEDs in 2019, while he was a candidate for the council seat.
Council agreed to have a feasibility study done in April.
Tanko noted the conversion process could provide the city an estimated savings of