New Saratoga Village LED Lights Reduce City Operational Cost

The City of Saratoga recently completed construction of its newly installed light-emitting diode (LED) street lights at the Saratoga Village.

The project involved removing existing street poles and high pressure sodium lights and installing 95 LED street lights in Saratoga Village.

The city anticipates that the lights will use 50 percent less energy and will have a longer lifespan, resulting in reduced maintenance expenses of $5,000 per year. 

Community members have the opportunity to see these new street poles and lights during holiday strolls at the Village.

“The installation of these LED lights is yet another solid example of the city’s effort to improve operational efficiencies,” said Mayor Chuck Page. “The new street poles and LED lights also add a subtle modern touch to the Village landscape to show our visitors that we are able to maintain our rural-like community with energy efficient infrastructure.”

The project's cost was approximately $450,000. The city purchased the LED street poles and lights with the $166,000 that it received from an Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant, which was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The city used $250,900 that it received from a Congestion and Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) grant, designated for Village Pedestrian Enhancements projects, to pay the constructions cost.

The city paid $32,500 toward the project, which was the local match amount required by CMAQ.

Construction work for this project included installing new wire conduits and new pole bases, repairing concrete sidewalk, installing new poles with new LED fixtures, removing old poles and fixtures, and traffic control during the project.

The city also worked with PG&E to remove 60 of the street poles and lights that it owned.