ALEXANDRIA, VA – Did you know that the City of Alexandria is in the process of converting all of its street lights to LED? So far, over the last year, Dominion Energy has converted 30 percent of Alexandria’s 10,500 street lights. The project is on track to finish by 2023, though it could be completed as early as 2022.
The change is not just taking place in this city. In fact, Dominion Energy is converting street lights throughout Northern Virginia. Their reason is that LED lights have a longer lifespan than traditional mercury vapor, sodium vapor, or metal halide lights. LED lights can last as much as five times longer than the traditional bulb.
The cost of this conversion varies, “depending on the size and style of light,” said Jerri Northedge, Dominion Energy Manager of Outdoor Lighting. “Dominion Energy offers a flat rate conversion fee per light to all customers.”
The cost for Alexandria will be covered by the city’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget. The total budget for the project is $1,750,000 for fiscal years 2020 and 2021.
The city estimates that when the project is complete, it will save residents a minimum of $300,000 a year.
The project is not expected to impact residents or businesses in any way. Changing each bulb takes around 30 minutes. And traditional bulbs are discarded safely to protect the environment.
“Dominion Energy, or their contractors, are responsible for all material handling and the conversion of the streetlights to LED,” said Bill Eger, Energy Manager for the City of Alexandria. “They are necessarily required to follow applicable federal and state laws for disposal processes.”
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