Oakland, USA City Government Purchases LED Lights to Enjoy Tax Rebates

Oakland, California, which has been ranked first among the top 10 green and sustainable cities in the United States for 8 consecutive times, recently renovated the underground parking garage named "Dalziel" located at the city government site. To achieve energy-saving goals, the city government replaced the previously used metal halide (MH) lights in the garage with light-emitting diode (LED) lights.

The procurement team of the Oakland city government responsible for energy-saving projects is specifically in charge of LED light procurement. The team inspected 7 LED light manufacturers in succession, and after repeated comparisons of energy consumption and illumination, they ultimately chose LED lights produced by a lamp factory in Gurnee, Illinois.

In February this year, immediately after the main structure renovation of the "Dalziel" underground parking garage was completed, 180 LED lights with a power consumption of 80 watts and a color temperature of 5000 Kelvin (K) were installed by the workers. Although the construction workers replaced the MH lights with LED lights on a one-to-one basis, there were still insufficient light source issues in the corner areas of the garage. To address this, the procurement side supplemented the corner lighting shortage by increasing the purchase quantity. The project leader stated that, although the expenditure slightly exceeded the original budget, the energy-saving effects of LEDs should not be underestimated. The quality of LED lights and the stable light source they provide can ensure the safety of drivers entering the underground parking garage. Meanwhile, compared with the previous MH lights, LED lights can reduce energy consumption by approximately 80%. According to the city's calculation, the "Dalziel" underground parking garage can save $32,000 in lighting energy expenses per year, including lighting for control and emergency systems, and the city government can recover all upfront renovation costs within 7 years. In addition, the energy-saving lights can save 260,000 kWh of electricity per year for the underground garage.

It is reported that the City of Oakland's practice of replacing energy-saving lighting equipment through government procurement this time can enjoy a tax refund of US$43,000 from the California Energy Commission's Energy Technology Assistance Program. Currently, this tax refund is being processed.