Albany, NY
| Number of Lights Committed | Electricity Savings kWh/yr) | Value of Electricity Saved ($/yr) | Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reductions (metric tonnes/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,300 | 3,589,530 | $384,082 | 2,523 |
Program Description
The City of Albany, NY was part of New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) Five Cities Energy Master Plan project. Approximately 57% of Albany’s energy budget was spent on street lighting, most of which was spent on operations and maintenance. The City investigated funding opportunities to convert to LED street lighting.
Service Area
Municipally-owned and utility-owned street lighting.
Situation Highlights
The City of Albany, NY spends in excess of $3-4 million annually on street lights. In the absence of an LED tariff offer by National Grid, Albany looked toward the state for supportive legislation on the cost structure for buybacks on utility-owned lights in order to access LED street lights. NYPA provided Albany and four other upstate New York cities with technical assistance for the initial inventory assessment and grant funds for the initial phase of the conversion project. The NYPA program also provided assistance to develop an energy master plan (released in 2015) for a clean energy economy and maximize energy efficiency in the built environment. The New York state assembly passed the LED Streetlights Act in 2015, which gives municipalities the right to purchase street lights from utilities in order to implement energy efficiency measures without restrictions. In 2016 Albany was pursuing opportunities with National Grid to identify a path forward to broad scale deployment, either a negotiated sale of streetlights or tariff option approved by the Public Service Commission (PSC).