Oakland, Calif., is committed to energy efficiency and has been named one of America’s greenest cities. Its decision was natural to upgrade more than 30,000 street lights to GE’s Evolve™ LED Roadway Scalable Cobrahead fixtures—a move that will save this West Coast port city more than $1.4 million in annual energy and maintenance costs.

Before installing GE LED lighting.	After installing GE Evolve™ LED Roadway Scalable Cobrahead fixtures.

The LED street lighting fixtures will be installed throughout most of the city, converting existing 70- to 400-watt high pressure sodium (HPS) fixtures. The city of Oakland anticipates energy savings in excess of 40 percent and reduced maintenance costs due to the longer life of the LED lighting fixtures.

The city of Oakland upgraded 30,000 street lights to GE’s Evolve™ LED Roadway Scalable Cobrahead fixtures.

 “The program again proves that Oakland is a national leader in civic innovation, saving money and helping to protect the environment,” said Mayor Jean Quan. “These lights burn less energy, which means we’re reducing our energy bills and our energy use at the same time, and their much longer lifespan also means we’re reducing our e-waste footprint. Everyone who has contributed to this project is helping Oaklanders and making our city proud.”

Oakland has been recognized as a top 10 green and sustainable U.S. city eight times in the last several years, including its recent rank of fourth among large cities by both the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Mother Nature Network.

The city of nearly 400,000 residents requested street lighting fixtures that met exacting light output requirements while consuming less energy. Seeking a solution that would fulfil the city’s specific needs, electrical distributor Graybar recommended the GE Evolve LED fixture, which would provide significant savings in both energy and cost. 

By upgrading to GE’s Evolve LED Roadway Scalable Cobrahead fixtures, the city of Oakland will save more than $1.4 million in annual energy and maintenance costs.

 “After identifying Oakland’s needs, we decided the GE Evolve fixture would best suit this project,” said Kristian Reyes, Graybar manager, Lighting Business. “Because the Evolve fixture offers best-in-class scalability and flexibility, we could easily tailor the solution to meet Oakland’s requirements.”

Looking toward the city’s ongoing commitment to energy efficiency, Graybar recommended a controls-ready solution that provides Oakland with the option of adding controls technology that would enable further efficiency.

The quality of the LED lighting also weighed in the decision by Oakland officials. The city by the San Francisco Bay—ranked as the “fifth most desirable destination to visit in 2012” by The New York Times— installed the new street lighting to conserve electricity while enhancing public spaces. GE’s advanced LED optical design offers hundreds of photometric options to meet precise street lighting requirements while delivering reduced glare and improved light control.

“LED lighting is a win-win situation for the residents of Oakland. This bright lighting has been desperately needed in our most vulnerable neighborhoods such as West Oakland,” said Councilmember Lynette McElhaney. “Because these lights are so energy efficient, the city will be saving a great deal of money that we can dedicate to other ways to enhance the quality of life for all Oaklanders.”

In addition to the energy cost savings the LED street lighting fixtures will provide, the city of Oakland is utilizing rebates offered by California utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Company.