Pittsburgh considers converting all streetlights to LED in proposed $16M project

A proposed $16 million project would upgrade Pittsburgh’s streetlights to more efficient LED lights, though two council members said they’ve already heard pushback from residents.

The city has identified The Efficiency Network, an independent energy services company, to handle the proposed citywide project. The company would survey the city’s streetlights and convert Pittsburgh’s 35,000 overhead streetlights to LED.

The light conversion project is expected to cut energy costs by $1 million a year, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create union jobs, Mayor Bill Peduto’s office said in a statement.

New streetlights will comply with the city’s new Dark Skies Lighting standards, which aim to reduce light pollution and provide a healthy natural environment for bird migration, as well as animals and people living in the city.

Council members Anthony Coghill and Deb Gross said they have both heard complaints about the proposal and existing LED lights in the city from constituents.

As they began to research the issue, they said, they discovered there already are about 4,000 LED streetlights throughout the city.

“We see complaints about the flickering of the lights or the failure of the lights completely, and then they have to be replaced again,” Gross said.

Coghill, while acknowledging that the “world is moving away from the old streetlights,” said he’s also seen reports from other cities where people have reported problems with LED lights.

Gross and Coghill said they plan to look into the issue further before the proposal appears on the City Council agenda for more discussion next Wednesday. The project needs City Council approval.

The mayor’s office said the project will use LED lights that are more durable and reduce energy consumption by 40% to 50%. The office said the initiative also will reduce the frequency of outages and light replacements.

Pittsburgh’s departments of Mobility & Infrastructure and Innovation & Performance recently worked with Cyclomedia to survey the city’s utility poles and streetlights. The city used that data to estimate how many new lights should be installed.

Based on that information, the city will use funds from the American Rescue Plan to install 15,000 additional streetlights.

Gross said that brings the total project price tag to $28 million.

The Efficiency Network has committed to providing workforce development opportunities during the project, including a partnership with the A. Philip Randolph Institute to connect young people to vocations and offer employment options after the project is finished. The company also is launching a new apprenticeship program with Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Career and Technical Education program that will have a curriculum created by the company, Duquesne Light and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Locals 5 and 29.

The project is scheduled to start in the spring and take two and a half years to complete.