Sedona says LED retrofit of city‑owned streetlights reducing electricity use; upfront cost about $113,000

Public Works and sustainability staff told the council the city completed a retrofit of 149 city‑owned streetlights with LED fixtures and that the change has cut electricity use and is expected to reduce maintenance costs.

Staff described the technical change: the LED retrofits remove heavy, heat‑generating ballasts and replace older high‑pressure sodium internals with lighter LED diodes while keeping the luminaires’ original housings to preserve the streetscape and dark‑sky compliance. The retrofit was installed in January and, for the account reviewed, staff said January–March 2025 showed about a 7,000 kilowatt‑hour reduction compared with the prior year and about $2,500 in savings for that period. Staff projected annual electricity savings of approximately $10,000 once the full year is measured.

Bryce (sustainability staff) told the council the total project cost for purchasing and installing the LEDs was around $113,000. He said lifecycle modeling comparing maintenance and replacements estimated the old high‑pressure sodium approach would have cost about $104,000 over the same timeframe, meaning a multi‑year payback. Staff said the municipality would recoup the investment in roughly six years under a direct comparison with a single high‑pressure sodium replacement cycle.

Council members asked about costs and payback; staff said the LED fixtures are expected to last roughly ten years and to reduce the frequency of ballast replacements that previously occurred every few years. The project team said they coordinated with Public Works to maintain fixture aesthetics and dark‑sky compliance.

No formal vote was taken; staff said the retrofit is complete and will be monitored to confirm projected savings and maintenance reductions.