Seattle City has benefited from tens of thousands more new LED lightings and saved the city $300,000 ,according to City Councilmember Bruce Harrell and City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco.

City Light has started work on the second phase of installing LED streetlights throughout the residential neighborhoods in its service territory. The utility installed 6,000 lights last year between the Ship Canal and North 65th Street.

Contractors will install 12,000 LED streetlights this year from North 65th Street to the north end of City Light’s service territory. By the end of 2014, a total of 41,000 energy-saving streetlights will be installed.

Once all 41,000 lights are installed, they are expected to cut operating costs by $2.4 million a year.

Success from the early installations has City Light looking for additional opportunities to use LED streetlights. The utility plans to test the lights on arterial streets this year. City Light also is investigating technology that would provide remote controls to dim or brighten the lights to meet the needs of changing traffic patterns – more light when drivers need it in heavy traffic, less light when fewer cars are on the road to reduce the impact on residents and increase energy savings.