Now that the city has bought its streetlights from National Grid and contracted to replace them with more energy efficient LED (light emitting diode) lights, some residents can’t wait to see the difference.

Lucas Murray, principal planner and special project manager with the Planning Department, who is overseeing the conversion, has been getting the calls. Last week he has a list of 130 requests for lights.

Most people understand when told they will get the lights once the city has them. The city plans to replace all 9,000 streetlights by late July or early August. Murray said he was able to get 45 of the lights pending delivery of 8,000 of the units. His priority is to replace burned out lights first.

But some residents are impatient, even indigent, that they should have to wait. Murray has heard claims that safety is at stake and as taxpayers they shouldn’t have to wait to get “their” streetlight on. The irony is that some of these lights were “red capped,” or purposely turned off, at the request of residents.

In other cases, the lights have burned out and are in need of replacement. However, Murray said that could cost $400 per light, although in a short time they would be exchanged for the LED lights. He’s for saving the taxpayers the money if it’s not compromising safety.

The city purchased the existing lights and fixtures from National Grid in October at a cost of $50,000 with the expectation it will take three to six months to replace them. A $3.2 million, 10-year bond is underwriting the cost of the program. The new lights are projected to save the city $370,000 annually and more than $700,000 once the bond is paid off. The savings will result from a combination of the energy-saving LEDs and a reduction in maintenance costs that made up a chunk of what the city was paying National Grid. The new lights have a 10-year warrantee.

To start with, the LEDs use less power to generate the same output of the high-pressure sodium lights they replace. In addition, the city has the capability to reduce lighting in neighborhoods. The plan is to dim neighborhood lights after 11 p.m. They would remain at full power on highly traveled roads. The lights automatically shut off with daylight.

Murray said the city should have the money to make pole replacements where needed as well as maintain the unique feature of period lighting in Pawtuxet and Conimicut while converting them to LEDs. Should there be sufficient funds, Murray would like to tackle ball field lighting.

“When done, everything will look like new,” he said.

More than the savings, the city expects fewer calls over non-working lights and a far faster response by PRISM, or Partnership for Rhode Island Streetlight Management, which is contracted to maintain the system. Reports of non-working lights can be made online to PRISM and replacements will be made in less than a week.

An issue Murray feels should best be left up to the City Council is requests for additional lights, or for that matter tuning off neighborhood lights. At the council level, residents would have the opportunity to air their concerns before action is taken, he said.