LED Bulbs Getting Green Light in County

The red and green stoplights may seem a little brighter these days, but local cities aren’t playing a holiday trick on you. Some stoplights are indeed more radiant, and they won’t be taken down once Christmas is over.

For the past few years, cities across California have replaced energy-draining incandescent bulbs in traffic signals with a longer-lasting light technology, called LED, that uses 90% less electricity. And in the face of today’s increasingly volatile power markets, many local cities are applying for a state grant to help them change thousands more in coming years.

Although most drivers won’t likely notice the difference, upon close inspection the LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, give stoplights a pinpoint look, with rows and rows of small dots instead of a soft glow. These bulbs are consistently bright, with a darker hue.

In contrast, incandescent lights are strongest in the center and the light fades around the edges. When LEDs are shut off, there is no afterglow.

Most importantly, considering the threats of rolling blackouts, a light-emitting diode uses only 10% of the electricity. If the entire state exchanged its 4 million incandescent stoplights for LED bulbs, the cumulative savings would be $95 million a year, according to the California Energy Commission.

The city of Ventura estimates it has saved 30%, or $4,000 a month, in electricity costs since installing more than 1,000 red LED light bulbs about a year and a half ago, said Mark Watkins, the city’s public works manager.

Oxnard recently received a $90,000 state grant to replace 570 bulbs. Four years ago, the city replaced 100 of its red left-hand turn arrows--the biggest electricity user among traffic signals, because they are on most of the time.

Joe Genovese, Oxnard’s traffic engineer, said incandescent bulbs use 135 watts, while the LEDs use about 12 watts. “That is a tremendous difference,” he said. “The LEDs last a lot longer, plus you get the energy savings and that’s significant.”

There is one hitch. LED lights are far more costly. A standard incandescent bulb costs about $1. An LED, about $100.

But traffic officials say the difference in an LED’s life span makes it cost effective. Standard bulbs burn out in a year or two, while LEDs last seven to 10 years. As a result, labor costs of replacing the bulbs goes down dramatically, transportation officials said.

Decades ago, scientists invented the red LED, commonly seen as the small red light on stereo receivers, VCRs and the “power” light on many computers. Only recently was the technology available for green and amber LEDs. Transportation officials said red lights are the most important for traffic signals, because they remain on the longest. Red lights are on 59% of the time, green 38% of the time and amber only 3%. Many cities are not replacing their amber bulbs because they are on so infrequently that there is no cost savings.

Most of the larger cities in the county have installed some red LED bulbs and are now beginning to phase in the green lights. Simi Valley has just one intersection with an LED bulb, but Thousand Oaks has about 250 red LED lights and may apply for a state grant to install more.

“We’re on a program where we replace as we go,” said John Helliwell, Thousand Oaks’ transportation engineer. “So if a red light burns out, we change it to the LED system.”

Of the 25 intersections with signals in the county’s unincorporated areas, four have LED lights, but transportation officials will be applying for a $42,000 state grant to get more.

As part of a program to help reduce electricity consumption, the California Energy Commission has set aside $10 million in grants for municipalities to install LED lights.

About $7.7 million has been distributed so far, and applicants are on a first-come, first-served basis, said Rob Schlichting, a commission spokesman. “You never think of traffic signals having a cost, but they do,” he said. “If we can have brighter lights that won’t burn out as often and cost less, this is a situation where I don’t see any drawbacks.”