Title
Authorizing and directing the Mayor to begin the process of converting all City street lights to LEDs by issuing an RFP and submitting an application with the Commonwealth for a Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement.
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WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh annually spends approximately $3.2 million in energy costs and $1 million in maintenance on the City's 40,000 street lights; and
WHEREAS, the current high pressure sodium lights contain mercury and use over 200 Watts of energy; and
WHEREAS, converting all 40,000 street lights to 200 Watt energy efficient lighting would annually save the City approximately $1 million in energy costs and $700,000 in maintenance costs; and
WHEREAS, the conversion of street lights to energy efficient lighting would also eliminate more than 7,500 tons of eCO2 emission; and
WHEREAS, the City could utilize the state's Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement (GESA) to fund the $24 million capital costs of converting all 40,000 street lights; and
WHEREAS, the GESA is intended for, "projectsÂ…where, through simple-payback analysis, cost savings resulting from energy conservation improvements exceed the associated financing. In other words, these guaranteed savings are used to cover operating budget finance payments over a period not to exceed fifteen years."
BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH HEREBY ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh is hereby authorized and directed to initiate the following:
1) Immediately assess funding opportunities for an energy efficiency streetlight outdoor public lighting retrofit, including but not limited to, foundation grants, Federal and State grants, and the Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement.
2) Form an Energy Efficient Lighting Task Force composed of the City Council Public Works Committee Chair, The City Council Finance Chair, the Director of Public Works, the Mayor's Director of Operations, the Director of Finance, City Solicitor, the City's Sustainability Coordinator, the City's Energy and Utilities Manager, representatives from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, the Clinton Climate Initiative, and the Illuminating Engineering Society.
3) Extend the existing Request for Information (RFI) inviting lighting companies to apply to participate in a pilot installation, so that all responses are due by March 31, 2009. All interested companies will provide the City with three test lights to install in designated locations within the City for a nine month trial (May 1, 2009 - February 1, 2010). During the trial period, measurements should be taken to determine the luminous intensity and the energy produced. Solar powered lights and those with photo-sensitive detectors that lessen the light during dusk and dawn should be included in the trial.
4) Issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) no later than April 1, 2010 with a closing date of April 30, 2010.
5) Award the contract no later than June 1, 2010, based on required conditions of the RFP process, reliability through trial phase, and long term financial and environmental impact. The contract should require work to begin no later than August 1, 2010 and be completed by August 1, 2015.
6) The City should determine programs we can work with to properly dispose of the existing HPS lights. This could be done through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or a similar program.
7) The RFP shall require that workers involved in installation shall be trained under Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace safety standards and shall be tested for illegal substances.
SECTION 2. The City of Pittsburgh will join the LED City promotional program.