Mayor Kirk Caldwell has released a request for proposals for a contractor to replace approximately 52,000 low pressure sodium (LPS) city streetlights with light-emitting diode (LED) streetlights.  A 2013 pilot project by the city demonstrated that retrofitting streetlights to LEDs provides significant cost savings, greater efficiency and increased visibility.

“Last year’s pilot project showed the advantages of transitioning all 52,000 city streetlights to LEDs,” said Mayor Caldwell. “By creating a public-private partnership to do the installation, the people of the City and County of Honolulu will receive the benefits without having to pay the initial upfront cost for installation. This innovative approach is a win for taxpayers, motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and the environment.”

Mayor Caldwell commenced a pilot project in June 2013 to replace approximately 400 street lights using U.S. Department of Energy funding. In his 2014 State of the City Address, Mayor Caldwell announced plans to replace all 51,700 city-owned street lights with LED fixtures, committing to a complete conversion in approximately 4 years through a public-private partnership.

Compared to existing LPS streetlight fixtures, the new LED lights reduce energy consumption by an average of 50 percent and have a payback period of four years. City streetlights consume approximately $6 million in electricity annually and the switch to LED is projected to save roughly $3 million in energy costs each year. The successful offeror will enter into a public-private partnership with the city and be paid for its services over a period of time through energy savings.

In addition to reduced energy costs, the city is also eligible for a $25 to $33 electricity rebate per fixture from Hawaii Energy.

LED streetlights are more energy efficient and provide brighter light directed towards the street, rather than radiating light toward surrounding homes and businesses as LPS streetlights do, enhancing public safety while reducing peripheral glare.

For more information on the project, please visit the city’s purchasing website at www.honolulu.gov/pur.

Photo comparison source: www.lighting-ledlight.com

Governor David Ige has appointed Catherine Awakuni Colón to serve as director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). Currently, Awakuni is the cable administrator in the DCCA’s Cable Television Division and served as the department’s executive director for its Division of Consumer Advocacy from 2006 to 2009. She previously served as chief legal counsel and commission counsel for the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Awakuni holds her J.D. from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law.

For more background on Awakuni and her work with the PUC, click here.