ComEd finishes five year-long project to install more than 131,000 LED smart streetlights

After five years of work, ComEd announced last week that all 131,600 streetlights it owns in northern Illinois have been installed and upgraded to smart LED light fixtures, providing brighter and more reliable light and major energy savings.

While some will focus on the safety aspects of the clearer light, it’s also worth noting that the effort will save more than an estimated 79 GW hours of energy annually. That’s the equivalent of removing more than 67 million pounds of carbon emissions and will benefit 575 communities across the region. Overall, the LED bulbs consume one-third of the electricity the old lightbulbs did and will last 2-3 times longer than high-pressure sodium or metal halide lights.

“ComEd’s commitment to the communities we serve extends beyond simply keeping the lights on; we are actively partnering with communities to deliver innovative solutions that create a cleaner, brighter future for northern Illinois families and businesses,” Gil Quiniones, CEO of ComEd, said. “Smart streetlights offer communities both environmental and safety benefits while lowering municipalities’ costs of energy and maintenance so that those funds can be used elsewhere.”

Another advantage of the update is that, as smart tech, municipalities can remotely dim lights in real-time, balancing their needs for energy savings or safety considerations. The smart devices also send notifications if maintenance is required, allowing quicker repair work. In this way, it’s not so different from the smart meter system.

The project cost ComEd $75 million, but the company estimated it would save $2.6 million in annual operational savings.