The majority of streetlights previously used in Goleta were High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights. While HPS were one of the most common streetlight technologies across the country, HPS streetlights are not energy efficient and produce orange, low quality light under which it is difficult to see color. Many cities are transitioning to newer, more effective LED lights.

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are a technology that have been used in small electronic devices such as calculators and digital clocks for decades. More recently, LED technology has advanced to streetlight applications. LED streetlights are much more energy efficient, have longer life spans, and produce better quality light than High Pressure Sodium (HPS) streetlights. This light improvement is thanks to the location of the LED bulbs at the top of the streetlight fixture. This focuses light downward, eliminating the sideways or upward lighting issues common in HPS streetlights. These are the issues contributing to “sky glow.”

More information about LED lighting is available at https://www.darksky.org/our-work/lighting/lighting-for-citizens/led-guide/.

The City is expected to save 345,000 kilowatt hours in energy, about a 50% reduction, saving over $100K annually in its street light electricity costs which will also help reduce Green House Gas emissions. Because LEDs have a longer life span, additional savings will be achieved in reducing street light maintenance costs. LED streetlights will be “Dark Sky” compliant and provide improved lighting conditions in the streets of City neighborhoods.

The color of streetlights is measured in its "color temperature" which uses units in Kelvin. High Pressure Sodium (HPS) fixtures are a color temperature of about 2200K. The City has implemented 2700K color temperature LEDs throughout the City. These options are the lowest mass-produced color temperature LED fixture. They maintain maximum efficiency while also providing a warmer light compared to 4000K options, 5000K options, and 3000K options to a lesser extent. These lights also conform to the American Medical Association’s recommendation for selecting light fixtures with a color temperature no greater than 3000K.

The transition from the 2200K HPS street lights to the 2700K street lights will be less noticeable than much higher Kelvin lights, but still provide excellent light quality and help to maintain the neighborhoods night time ambience and quality of life. 

Scale of color temperature for LEDs.

This project replaced approximately 1,464 streetlight heads throughout Goleta, most of which are standard streetlights called cobrahead fixtures. The City did not replace streetlight poles, only the light fixtures. The City will not be converting any lights located on Southern California Edison (SCE) wood distribution poles, or still owned by SCE.

The existing High Pressure Sodium (HPS) streetlights will be recycled in accordance with all federal and state environmental guidelines.

Reducing the upward emission of light coming from the existing unshielded High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights was an important goal in the City converting to LED streetlights. According to the Dark Sky Association, all streetlights with less than 2% uplight (light directed from the fixture above the horizontal) are considered Dark Sky compliant. All of the fixtures used had 0% uplight. This resulted in an almost complete elimination of the light pollution caused by the previous HPS system.  

These fixtures are optimized to focus light on the right-of-way, and in most cases will not shine into yards or windows. This is thanks to the internal fixture design having more light control than traditional HPS fixtures. The photometrics of the recommended fixtures also ensure there are no “hotspots” of light where downward light is more intense.

If you or a neighbor are experiencing excess light in your window, please reach out to the City's Streetlight Division Representative Michael Winnewisser at (805)690-5120 or mwinnewisser@cityofgoleta.org.

There are three design criteria that the project team has identified which will result in shield installation upon conversion to LED. Lights abutting backyards, located at T-intersections, and on curved sections of road will be automatically considered for shields.

Additionally, all lights are capable of being retrofitted with shields. Any request for shielding will be considered and implemented as needed. If you or a neighbor are experiencing excess light in your window or yard, please reach out to the City's Streetlight Division Representative Michael Winnewisser at (805)690-5120 or mwinnewisser@cityofgoleta.org.

The wattage of the LED fixtures vary depending on the road type of the light’s location. This means arterials, collectors, and residential streets all vary in brightness. In short, the busier the street the brighter the light. Additionally, different light fixtures will be used for certain design conditions, including poles at T-intersections, at cul-de-sacs, and at curved road segments.

The installation of LEDs has been completed. Any lights which have not transitioned are not owned by the City of Goleta, and are subject to the owner's replacement schedule. In most cases, this owner remains Southern California Edison (SCE).