New LED streetlights coming to Sonoma

Sonoma residents will see their town in a new light.

The city is replacing 1,100 streetlights with more energy efficient fixtures. Crews started installing the LED lights this week. The work will be completed by Thanksgiving, city officials said.

The project will reduce the CO2 greenhouse gas output by 180,000 pounds a year, city officials said. It’s also expected to save the city about $70,000 annually in energy costs.

Besides the energy savings, officials said the new fixtures will require less maintenance and improve the quality of light in the city, making streets safer for cars and pedestrians. They said the color the fixtures emit is similar to that of moonlight.

A third of the $360,000 project was funded by sales-tax revenue and a $41,000 rebate by PG&E. The rest will be financed by the power company using a zero-percent interest loan, city officials said.