Street lighting plays an important role in the human landscape, providing public safety and place-making
benefits. However, it is also the largest energy expense for many municipalities and accounts for
significant environmental impacts. By converting their street lighting to LED bulbs, communities
throughout Southeast Michigan have a great opportunity to save money, reduce their environmental
impacts, and realize safety and aesthetic benefits for residents. However, municipalities’ participation in
street lighting conversion projects has thus far been limited due to lack of information and communication
about available community lighting options. This report, prepared on behalf of the Southeast Michigan
Regional Energy Office (SEMREO), explores the following perspectives of the proposed LED streetlight
conversion projects: technical feasibility, street lighting policy, environmental impact analysis, social and
community analysis, and financial analysis of available funding mechanisms.
For the technology analysis section, we performed a literature review of available street lighting
technologies, with a focus on highlighting the energy and cost benefits of LED conversion project
implementation. With their high efficacy and long lifetimes relative to conventional bulbs, LEDs were
proven the best option for streetlight upgrades in Southeast Michigan. We also performed a policy
analysis, examining policy incentives and disincentives for LED street lighting conversion projects in the
state of Michigan, including utility incentives, legislative activities, and federal policy drivers. For our
environmental analysis, we quantified the emissions reductions attributed to the demand reduction from
the LED conversion project, and determined its potential as a cost-effective emissions reduction
mechanism. In addition, we met with community members and identified the needs and preferences of the
Eastpointe community, a SEMREO member, and found that participants were interested in the
possibilities of solar-powered streetlights. Finally, we evaluated financing options and discussed financial
barriers for undergoing such projects.
This comprehensive analysis includes a simple streetlight This comprehensive analysis includes a simple streetlight conversion plan for communities in Southeast
Michigan region and several recommendations for municipalities participating in SEMREO’s Street
Lighting Consortium. First, we found this conversion plan to be economically favorable, saving
municipalities an average of 55% of energy savings and 32% of annual expenses savings, with an average
simple payback period of 3.7 years. For our recommendations, we emphasize that upgrading streetlights
to LEDs creates significant economic, environmental and social benefits: communities should continue
being Consortium members, take advantages of economies of scale, and remain active in public
consultation processes. Additionally, we recommend that the Consortium continue to advocate for energy
efficiency-friendly policies, such as stricter energy optimization standards and inclusion of LED
conversion projects in the State Carbon Implementation Plan (SCIP), and that the Consortium style itself
as an advocacy and resource organization with dues-based membership. Finally, it is recommended that
SEMREO members increase their outreach opportunities with the public to gain more support for
streetlight conversions. An integrated approach such as the one laid out in this report could accelerate
LED implementation process, assess the benefits, and help to increase participation in future programs.
Our results could also be applied to municipalities in Michigan outside of SEMREO’s target region, but
further large-scale data analysis would be needed to support this project at a state-level scale.