SmartCitiesWorld – City of Medford Upgrades More Than 7,000 Streetlights

Improvements are being financed by a low-interest loan and include converting all city- and utility-owned streetlights, as well as additional park and parking lot locations.

The City of Medford, Oregon, and renewable energy company Ameresco have agreed a $4m energy savings performance contract (ESPC) that will pay for an upgrade of more than 7,000 streetlights in the city.

Improvements are being financed by a low-interest loan and include converting streetlights and parks department lighting to light emitting diode (LED) technology.

Energy savings

According to authorities, completing this upgrade through an ESPC will allow the City to fund the project with energy-savings over the term of the contract. The project is expected to be completed in 2021.

“LED fixtures not only consume less energy, but they last four times longer than our current high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights,” said Karl MacNair, transportation manager, Medford. “The lighting conversion will save taxpayers money in energy costs and contribute to reducing the city’s carbon emissions.”

The project will impact approximately 8,000 light fixtures across the city. All city- and utility-owned streetlights will be converted, as well as additional park and parking lot locations.

Medford began its efforts in 2019 by converting a small portion of streetlights to LED. With Ameresco’s partnership, this large-scale conversion will “drastically reduce” the city’s energy use for streetlighting.

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