The city of Independence is best known as the place President Truman called home. At the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week, Mayor Reimal announced that the city of Independence will be working with Philips to start an ambitious street lighting project, which is expected to save the city more than $4 million in energy and maintenance costs in the next 10 years. The system will also reduce carbon emission by over 10.3 million pounds every year. 

The city owned utility, Independence Power and Light (IPL), has calculated that replacing High Intensity Discharge (HID) fixtures with the new Philips LED solution will save over 6.6 million kilowatt hours, which is equivalent to an annual savings of $288,000. The new lights will not only provide uniform, quality white light, but also requires less upkeep, the city also estimates it will save $150,000 in annual maintenance costs. This will allow the city to use those funds for other improvement projects that will benefit its citizens.

Philips LED lighting systems offer high quality white light, improving visibility and safety, while stimulating social and economic activity. Additionally, with different lighting requirements, the lighting system can be adjusted as necessary. Featuring best-of-breed Philips technologies such as LUXEON LEDs and Xitanium drivers, the Philips RoadView is a flexible, high performance solution. Based on the LEDgine platform, it allows for different LED configurations, enabling the systems to meet a customer's unique needs such as application and light output. This helps to ensure that light levels and light quality meet the application requirements.

“Mayor Reimal has proven that innovative technologies such as our LED street lighting systems are not just for the urban metropolis, but they can have a deep impact on any community,” said Bruno Biasiotta, CEO and president of Philips Lighting Americas. “In addition to energy savings, innovative lighting solutions support local jobs, increase light quality and visibility, and allow residents to feel safer. The city of Independence is a shining example of how a public-private partnership and a visionary mayor willing to adopt meaningful innovation can have a long-term impact on a city.”

Philips' outdoor lighting solutions allow cities and municipalities to further extend their technology investment and energy savings with intelligent controls. They offer a significantly longer life, optional dimming, programmable drivers and outdoor control systems, allowing them to automatically understand road conditions and adjust themselves accordingly.

Installation of the new system in the city of Independence has already begun and is expected to be completed by December 2013.