Announced by Mayor Greg Nickels, Seattle is the first city in Washington to finalize its stimulus plan for the new Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, paving the way for $6.1 million in funding for a variety of energy conservation programs.
As part of the program, Seattle will use federal stimulus funds to replace all 40,000 residential streetlights in Seattle with energy-and cost-efficient LED technology.
The $6.1 million in block grants, part of a $3.2 billion Department of Energy program, will accelerate Seattle City Light’s five-year conservation plan and install energy efficiency products in residences and small businesses. The city will invest $1.5 million in a revolving loan fund for residential retrofit projects, and will develop an Energy Performance Score to measure home energy use, similar to an MPG rating for cars.
The full transition to replace streetlights with LED lights is expected to take around four to six years.
