Garden Grove tests LED street lights

Garden Grove is testing four 250-watt LED street lights on Civic Center Drive at Acacia Parkway, said Senior Analyst Chau Vu. Whether the city will switch over to LED will depend on how this testing goes, she said.

"In the next six months to one year, we'll look at how much wattage these lights use up," she said. "If it does what they say it can do, then it's definitely worth it for the city. These lights can save a lot in terms of energy and money."

LED lights are also easy to maintain because they last longer, Vu said. The downside is that they cost significantly more. While a regular street light costs $300 a fixture, LED lights cost about $2,000 a fixture.

LED lights are constructed with 100 percent recycled aluminum, contain no mercury or lead and do not require hazardous waste disposal handling. The city of Los Angeles is testing 100-watt LED lights.

Garden Grove was one of the first cities in the state to install LED lights on traffic signals. These test lights are manufactured by a company called Leotek and were donated to the city by South Coast Lighting.

If the tests prove successful, the city would have to seek funds to switch all street lights to LED, Vu said.

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