Washington, DC

Households that replace just a few old incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs, a product with more than three times the lifespan of their traditional counterparts, can reduce electric bills and put a dent in their carbon footprint. Imagine the impact of replacing 4,424,361 light bulbs. This is the number of streetlights in our nation’s ten largest metropolitan statistical areas. According to a study released in March of 2008, switching all streetlights in these major regions to an LED or a “smart streetlights” system could lead to a savings of 1,494,250,000 kilowatts (kWh) or a reduction of 1,161,716 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). This report wasn’t produced by the EPA or a national LED manufacturer; in fact, this white paper was prepared by Bob Grow, then an American Chamber of Commerce Executives Ford Fellow in Regionalism and Sustainable Development for the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

 

During his fellowship, Grow explored possible carbon reductions and energy savings for the greater Washington DC area through the use of energy efficient streetlights. As the forward of his report explains, “In the challenge to reduce our world’s greenhouse gas emissions the most tangible and perhaps the most easily accomplished opportunity is to become more energy efficient. This is the low hanging fruit.” The report estimates that a crossover to LED bulbs in the 62,394 streetlights in the District of Columbia alone would result in an annual savings of 30.4 million kWh, or a dollar savings of $1,824,000, and a reduction in Washington’s carbon footprint of 23,596 metric tons of CO2. Beyond reductions in carbon emissions and savings for the region’s taxpayers, Grow explains the added benefit of such a program for greater Washington: “Going green is a competitive advantage. Brownouts aren’t good for business and this type of program not only improves our local environment, but Washington’s national image; it’s good for attracting talent and firms to the area.”

Through collaborations between the Washington Board of Trade and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), Grow’s report and the valuable recommendations within were not left to collect dust. Important steps have been taken by these groups toward implementing an LED street light system throughout the region including the formation of a regional working group and the distribution of a survey to collect data on street light system ownership, maintenance and other issues. Local pilot programs are also up and running in the City of Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia and in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland. At the national level, the white paper has been referenced in numerous articles and websites including Washington Post Writers Group columnist Neal Peirce, CNN, BusinessWeek, the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Texas Instruments, the City of Pittsburgh, the District of Columbia Government, University of Alaska, Amplex Inc., and Echelon Corporation. Thanks to the joint efforts of Grow, the Board of Trade and COG, Greater Washington is on the well-lit road to become a more sustainable and economically vital region.