In 2022, the City of Chicago finalized one of the largest, most ambitious, street lighting modernization project in the country. In the span of four years, the city replaced more than 280,000 outdated high-pressure sodium (HPS) light fixtures with energy-efficient LED lights, which use less than half the energy of HPS lights and last twice as long. The city also implemented a smart lighting management system powered by a wireless network of nodes attached to each fixture. The nodes send instant outage notifications, automatically creates a repair ticket, and assigns a repair crew to respond to the location of the faulty light. This allows for quicker maintenance and repair.

This case study follows the process and outcome of designing and implementing a new LED lighting system for a leading multi-brand auto dealership in Des Moines, Iowa. This project shows the many capabilities and benefits of an LED lighting and control system when guided by careful lighting design, control system configuration, and utility rebate knowledge.