Several U.S. cities are planning to use federal stimulus funds to replace traditional streetlights with energy-efficient LED ones.

Seattle plans to retrofit all 40,000 residential streetlights with energy- and cost-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) technology. It estimates that four to six years will be needed for the city to replace all streetlights with LEDs.

Seattle is the first Washington city to finalize its stimulus plan for the new Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program with $6.1 million in block grants, part of a $3.2 billion Department of Energy program, for a variety of energy conservation programs, reports the Washington state newspaper.

The funding is expected to create 76 new clean energy jobs and reduce energy consumption in buildings by 20 percent.

Arlington Heights, Illinois, is also to spend part of its federal stimulus funds to replace decorative lighting in downtown Arlington Heights with LEDs, which should save $6,100 every year, more than half the yearly electricity cost for lights.

The project is estimated to cost $460,000 of the $714,100 that has been set aside for Arlington Heights under the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant.

The city council of Boise, Idaho has also recommended retrofit of five city parks and conversion of about 725 historic, 150-watt high-pressure sodium streetlights to LED technology to spend $2.04 million from the federal economic stimulus package. The project is expected to deliver a 50 to 60 percent savings in energy costs.