Background
The City of Columbus, Mississippi, sought to optimize its existing infrastructure and enhance its competitive standing within the Golden Triangle region. To achieve these goals, the Columbus City Council and tenured City Mayor (Robert Smith) engaged SitelogIQ to conduct a comprehensive analysis of its infrastructure and identify opportunities for efficiency improvements during a time when budget savings were greatly needed.
Solution
In 2019, SitelogIQ conducted a detailed audit and analysis of Columbus’ street lighting system and developed a comprehensive LED conversion plan. The project included standardized design practices to ensure consistency and optimize energy efficiency. Additionally, the city sought to prioritize underserved neighborhoods, bringing residents a renewed sense of peace and comfort. By implementing these upgrades, the city achieved substantial energy savings, offsetting the project costs and generating an annual budget surplus of over $110,000 after accounting for financing costs. Columbus became the first municipality in Mississippi to complete a successful city-wide LED streetlight conversion project.
Project Impact
$8.2M Twenty Year Utility Savings
Project Breakdown
- Converted 4,276 existing streetlights to brighter, safer, more energy-efficient streets
- Generated over $110,000 in annual budget surplus
- 237 of 4,276 converted to LED before the project by the utility company
Additional Audit Outcomes
- Inventoried existing streetlights
- Documented over 25 attributes on each streetlight (height, wattage, etc.)
- Developed a Google Maps view of the existing infrastructure
- Professionally designed and mapped a new LED infrastructure with manageable SKU counts & numbered inventory for easier maintenance