NEWS
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City Receives Rebate for Energy-Saving Traffic Signals
Sunnyvale, CA
(3/21/02) – The City of Sunnyvale received a rebate of $236,916 from
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) for installing energy-saving
traffic signal lights. The Sunnyvale City Council received a check from
PG&E representatives Frank Arroyo and Ben Metha at the City Council meeting
on March 19, 2002. The new traffic signals
will cut energy use, help the environment, and save taxpayer money.
PG&E created this rebate program to encourage California
cities to retrofit pedestrian walk/don’t walk signs and green lights from
incandescent bulbs to Light Emitting Diode (LED) indications. In order to qualify, the City retrofitted
all of its traffic signals in a six-month period ending in June 2001. Retrofitting the signals enabled the City to
reduce energy use, utility costs, maintenance, and liability exposure. The energy conserved by installing LED
traffic signals was especially important due to last year’s energy crisis.
“It is especially gratifying when the public and private sector can team up to benefit the environment and reduce costs to taxpayers,” said Dennis Ng, Traffic Engineer for the City. Combined with a previous energy conservation program in 1998, the City has cut energy use in half at signalized intersections. Because of the expedited installation of the LED traffic signals, Sunnyvale was eligible to receive a 100% rebate for the material costs. The money saved by cutting energy use, along with the rebate funds, means the City will recover its installation costs in just two years.
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