Indianapolis street lights to undergo conversion to LEDs

With funding from the city of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL) has announced plans to swap 27,000 existing street lights for light-emitting diode (LED) versions in an effort to save future energy and cost.

Though the plan still requires approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, it calls for the city to pay all costs for the conversion up-front – a cost usually billed to the City and paid for by state taxpayers. This marks the largest LED street light conversion in the state that stakeholders hope will make for longer fixture life while consuming less energy. If approved, the conversion is expected to take three years, beginning in 2018.

At the same time, IPL has released findings of a street light study conducted by the Indiana University
Public Policy Institute which support the effort. The study was meant to help municipalities determine
where the new street lights should go.

“This is a major transformation for our city and IPL wants to ensure that all neighborhoods and communities benefit from the advantages that sufficient lighting can provide, such as greater safety and an improved quality of life,” Rafael Sanchez, IPL president and CEO, said. “By securing the agreement with the City and completing the street light study, we are making significant strides and tremendous progress toward a brighter, more efficient future for everyone we serve.”

The study took into account a number of factors, including crime statistics, pedestrian traffic, populations with disabilities and households with limited access to vehicles.