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LED Traffic Signal Conversion Program summary
The City of Minneapolis has nearly finished the conversion of its traffic signal indications to a LED source of light. The traffic signals were illuminated with incandescent light bulbs and the LED’s are much more energy efficient. An 8 inch indication uses 10 watts with the LED’s vs. 69 watts with incandescent. The program has been encouraged with financial help from the Xcel energy conservation program. This help comes in the form of rebates.
The program has been very successful on a number of fronts. LED lamps do not need to be replaced as often as incandescent bulbs and provide a better signal indication for pedestrians, bicyclist, and motorized traffic. This is in addition to reduced energy consumption, which offers a wide array of benefits to the city’s bottom line and the environment:
• $3.064 million (2009 dollars) in cost savings since the start of the program.
• Over the life of the program, approximately 880 homes could be powered for a year with the electricity saved by the LED conversions.
Reduced energy needs saved 7,431 tons of CO 2 emissions from existing power plants.
• Saves nonrenewable natural resources such as natural gas, coal, and oil that are used to generate electricity.
Here is a summary of the program to date:
|
Program |
Reds |
Pedestrian indications |
Greens |
Totals |
|
Years of installation |
1997-98 |
2004-05 |
2006-09 |
|
|
Energy savings per year |
1.9M kWh |
3.3M kWh |
1.9M kWh |
7.0M kWh |
|
Cost of installation |
$900,000 |
$439,000 |
$530,000 |
$1,869,000 |
|
Rebate from Xcel Energy |
$66,600 |
$167,960 |
$419,774 |
$654,334 |
|
Net cost to the City |
$833,400 |
$271,040 |
$62,791 |
$1,167,231 |
|
Operating cost savings per year (2009 $'s) |
$137,000 |
$230,000 |
$130,000 |
$484,000 |
|
CO 2 Reduction (tons) per year |
2,036 |
3,535 |
1,860 |
7,431 |
|
Total operating cost savings since installation |
$1,644,000 |
$1,150,000 |
$270,000 |
$3,064,000 |