The City of Chico’s proposal to replace existing City building lighting with LED lighting was unanimously approved by the City Council earlier this week and is expected to be completed within the month.
LED lighting uses significantly less energy than incandescents, provides better lighting quality, and also lasts longer, leading to lower operations and maintenance costs. As shared in Chico’s City Council meeting:
Utility costs are one of the largest expenses that burden every department within the City. Over the last 20 years the City has paid PG&E $23 million dollars in utility costs. In order to reduce those expenses, staff is requesting authorization to partner with Richard Heath & Associates (RHA) and take advantage of current PG&E rebate offers to install LED lighting fixtures within City facilities. Total project cost to retrofit all City Facilities is $181,497 with a projected annual savings of $98,747.89. Return on Investment (ROI) for the project is a quick 1.84 years.
As shared by Revolve Solar, Director of Public Works, Operations and Maintenance Erik Gustafson had the following to say on the project:
“We’ve always had a push to make sustainable upgrades when they make sense and when they could pencil out (financially),” said Gustafson. “Anything we can do to reduce those expenses and achieve sustainable efforts just makes sense all around.”