Streetlights are often taken for granted. While they play a pivotal role in our everyday lives, we don’t often think about how they are maintained or, more importantly, how they can be improved. Southern California Edison’s streetlight upgrade program shines a light on the importance of these essential fixtures, boosting their performance while saving customers money.

SCE's streetlight upgrade offering allows government agencies to request replacement of older, less-efficient bulbs with new LED fixtures. With no upfront cost to customers, SCE manages the project from start to finish with minimal disruption to residents.

“The whole project was completed in less than three weeks,” said Edgar Abrenica, associate civil engineer for the city of Laguna Niguel, which took advantage of the upgrade offer in March. Even more impactful than the cost savings and efficient workflow were the benefits to residents.

“With all honesty, hearing from residents who were impacted by the program, their lives changed for the better,” said Abrenica. "Numerous testimonies from residents not only mentioned that they see a lot further because of the enhanced roadway fixtures, but the clarity of sight has improved too.”

“The LED technology we use is reliable, dark-sky compliant and robust in a variety of conditions,” said John King, senior project manager for SCE. The new streetlights allow motorists and pedestrians to see further and more clearly compared to older lights, and they use less energy, helping to reduce participating jurisdictions’ carbon footprints while saving on costs.

With an annual savings of nearly $35 per streetlight, the program’s fiscal benefits are clear and long-lasting. Participants have upgraded as many as 8,000 fixtures, saving as much as $280,000 per year, or $5.6 million over the life of the program.

While the streetlight replacement program has no upfront costs, customers do reimburse SCE for installation and materials, which still results in lower costs for municipalities because the new technology is more energy-efficient. Overall customer savings will be even greater because SCE will replace the LED bulbs — which have a life expectancy of about 20 years — as part of its routine streetlight maintenance program.

“Any organization that hasn’t participated, I strongly recommend they consider it,” said Abrenica. “It truly changes residents’ lives.”

For questions, including how to get started with streetlight replacement to save energy and costs, please contact SCE Senior Project Manager John King at john.king@sce.com.