Albuquerque District 6, New Mexico

Utilizing proprietary survey module software, an existing conditions audit was conducted, including citywide streetlight inventory and assessment of over 32,000 city and utility owned street light and traffic signal assets. Our audit included a full photometric assessment of the city to measure lighting levels on every city street, so direct improvement could be demonstrated post-conversion.

Our audit included a full photometric assessment of the city to measure lighting levels on every city street, so direct improvement could be demonstrated post-conversion.

With the inventory data as a foundation, stakeholder input and city datasets such as traffic and crime statistics were cross-analyzed to develop a comprehensive Smart Lighting Master Plan for the 23,000 lighting assets owned by the City. This included lighting design standards, product quality standards, and comprehensive analysis of city-wide lighting conditions to guide future conversations around priorities.

After the Smart Lighting Master Plan was finalized, a Complete System Upgrade Plan for LED conversion and ongoing maintenance and associated reporting was developed and approved by the City. The Plan outlined a safety-first, phased approach to the conversion of the city-owned street lights, prioritizing extremely dark or traditionally underserved areas. The Plan also detailed infrastructure improvements that would be made beyond simply replacing the existing light with an LED, such as wiring or fuse replacements.

The Complete System Upgrade Plan was approved and curated into the Global Management Performance Contract. Beyond a simple energy savings contract, the Global Management Performance Contract (GMPC) outlines key performance indicators related to energy savings, lighting levels, service response times, outage rates, database accuracy, and more.

The conversion of the city-owned lights began in November 2017. The 21,000 city-owned street lights were converted in just under 10 months with zero lost-time incidents. The LED conversion decreased energy consumption by 61%, while increasing roadway lighting levels by 13% as a city-wide average. Residents began to immediately enjoy safer roads and sidewalks, while the City began to capture immediate on-bill savings from the utility.

Dalkia is now in the 6th year of the GMPC, managing and maintaining the city-owned street lighting assets. Since the conclusion of the initial upgrade in 2018, we have added over 1,500 traditional electrified street lights, solar-powered street lights, and decorative lights to the City to help improve traffic and pedestrian safety, as well as spark economic growth as residents and tourists feel more inclined to utilize spaces after dark.