Regulatory Issues and Approaches to Municipal LED Street Lighting Conversions

Municipalities considering energy-efficient light-emitting diode street lights for their jurisdiction face a variety of regulatory issues. This brief describes how cities can successfully address these challenges to achieve multiple advantages. The brief first reviews the structure of street lighting tariffs and the costs and cost assumptions that underlie them. It then lays out pathways that municipalities can take to consider street lighting retrofits if faced by these regulatory barriers. The brief references cases of municipalities’ successes and challenges in pursuing these pathways. For more information, see the resources listed at the end of the brief.