The City of Manassas Electric Utility is working with the city's police department to identify a "preferable neighborhood" to test out new LED streetlights this fall, said a recent article in the city's August 2008 Utility Connection newsletter.Streetlights on the grounds of the Public Works facility, which is adjacent to several neighborhoods, will also be part of the pilot.
LED streetlights improve night visibility while offering 40-60 percent energy savings. They offer 10 years maintenance-free product life, with up to 8,400 kilo-watt hours of energy savings over the product's lifetime. Each new light would cut out as much greenhouse gas (CO2) as the average passenger car produces in 14 months of driving, the newletter article continued.
This is not an insignificant amount of electricity, and streetlights aren't the only place where there is room for improvement:
The City of Manassas has already reduced energy and maintenance costs by 40 percent by converting traffic signals to LED technology.
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A quick glance at a satellite image of the lit-up earth outlining the continents of the world easily show the energy demand civilization imposes on the night. Streetlights and other other lighting across the globe consume up to 20% of total electrical energy produced. In the United States 22% of electricity consumed is used for lighting.