Ameren Illinois to replace approximately 10,000 old streetlights with LEDs this year

Ameren Illinois announced plans to swap approximately 10,000 streetlights containing sodium vapor, mercury vapor, and metal halide with newer, more energy efficient LEDs by the end of 2021.

The work will extend to the neighborhood lights of 40 communities and proceed through a vendor, Pro Electric. IBEW-trained electrical workers will assist in the endeavor. Replacement of the lights began this May and should be completed by the end of November.

“Energy efficiency benefits everyone by reducing the amount of energy that is produced and expended,” Kristol Simms, director of Energy Efficiency and Innovation at Ameren Illinois, said. “The new LED streetlights will provide these communities with public safety, environmental and financial benefits for many years.”

LED lights utilize between 55-65 percent less energy than their technologically older counterparts. They also boast triple the life expectancy and reduce maintenance and operational costs at large while producing less carbon emissions. At the same time, they shine brighter, granting better nighttime visibility, with a cooler, whiter spectrum of light rather than the classic yellow tint.

Although this latest effort began in Danville, Ill., the replacement of Ameren Illinois’ streetlights began in 2017. Since then, the company has replaced more than 140,000 lights throughout its service areas in central and southern Illinois, and it plans to replace approximately 305,000 in all by 2027.