Rancho Cucamonga, Ca – The City of Rancho Cucamonga will be launching a citywide LED (light-emitting diode) streetlight retrofit program throughout the summer and fall of 2017, after taking ownership of over 15,000 streetlights in the city from Southern California Edison (SCE). The project is expected to annually reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,050 metric tons and save over $1.3 million in energy and maintenance costs.

Approved by the City Council as part of the 2017-18 Budget, with a cost of roughly $3 million, the City will save more than 4 times that amount in energy and maintenance costs over 10 years. The LED streetlights are projected to reduce energy use by 66% and maintenance costs by 80% per year. Energy savings are estimated at 4,420,854 kWh per year, which is equivalent to a reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of 1,050 metric tons.

“The reduced energy use, lower costs and reduced GHG that will be realized by this retrofit project is great news for residents of the City,” said Fred Lyn, Utility Division Manager for the City of Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility. “These LED streetlights showcase Rancho Cucamonga’s commitment to environmental and fiscal responsibility, and will also provide better illumination citywide, improving safety for drivers, residents and businesses.”  

The planning of the streetlight ownership transition with SCE has already begun and will be completed in phases of 1,500 to 2,000 street lights per phase, depending on geography and density of lights. The first phase of the LED project will begin immediately after ownership has been obtained by the City, which the City expects to be the end of summer or early fall. The LED retrofit streetlight process will continue for the remainder of the year until the more than 15,000 streetlights have been retrofitted. The LED streetlights in the City’s major arterial streets will also have the ability to be integrated into a smart network in the future which will enable controls with the touch of a button for public safety responders. Of the $3.0 million project cost, SCE is estimated to provide approximately $1.1 million in utility rebates to the City for the LED streetlight retrofit.

Funding for this project will come from the City’s Infrastructure Reserve Fund to provide the necessary funds to retrofit the LED streetlight at a one (1) percent interest rate loan to the City’s eight Streetlight Maintenance Districts. The repayment source for the inter-fund loan would be the annual net cost savings generated from the reduction in payments made to SCE, proportionate to each District’s share of the streetlights.

The almost 15,000 retrofitted LED lights used for the streetlights have a projected lifespan of almost 90,000 hours, or 20 years of life when in operation 12 hours per day, meaning projected lifetime savings for the retrofit are estimated to be $28 million. Through various savings, it is estimated the City will recover the project’s costs in three (3) years.

“Investing today in more efficient and sustainable energy use systems like LED lighting; prepares us for a significant cost savings in our future, ultimately aiding to reduce the expenses, that’s great news for our residents.” shared Lyn.

The City of Rancho Cucamonga encompasses 40.1 square miles and is located 40 miles east of Los Angeles; considered to be the premier city in the Inland Empire, Rancho Cucamonga is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Southern California with a current population of over 175,000 residents. Information regarding the City and the programs and services provided to the community can be found at www.CityofRC.us.