DATE: October 6, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Accept and Appropriate an Additional $19,704 in Grant Funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for the Streetlight Conversion to LEDs, Increasing the Total Grant Award to $119,704, Project No. 06935
RECOMMENDATION
That Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to accept and appropriate an additional $19,704 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program for the streetlight conversion to LEDs, increasing the total grant award from $100,000 to $119,704.
SUMMARY
In January 2025, the City was awarded $100,000 in formula-based grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program to retrofit streetlights with high-efficiency light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures. The project was recommended by the Council Sustainability Committee (CSC) in 2023. On February 18, 2025,
1 the City Council authorized the City Manager to accept and appropriate the $100,000 in EECBG funding for the streetlight retrofit project.
Since that time, DOE has allocated an additional $19,704 from a separate EECBG technical assistance grant to the City’s streetlight retrofit project, increasing the total EECBG funding available for the project to $119,704. The additional funding will support the City’s ongoing efforts to improve energy efficiency through the conversion of streetlight fixtures to LEDs.
FISCAL IMPACT
This item has no impact on the General Fund or Measure C.
This project will utilize the City’s Capital Projects fund, and the US Department of Energy will reimburse the City after installing the LED lights and providing documentation. DOE aims to 1 https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7139169&GUID=19827ED3-6670-4319-A586-C62B8A435374&Options=&Search=
process reimbursements within 30 to 60 days after documentation is provided. There is no City match required.
BACKGROUND
The EECBG is a $550 million grant program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help states, local governments, and Tribes implement strategies to reduce energy use, to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency. The City of Hayward was allocated $197,040. On March 13, 2023, the CSC recommended that the funds be split between two projects: technical assistance for the Existing Building Electrification Roadmap and to convert streetlight fixtures to energy efficient LEDs. 2 The project was originally split
to $100,000 for retrofitting the streetlights and $97,040 for the technical assistance.
Energy efficient LED technology fulfils the grant’s requirement of reducing energy use because they use less energy than other lighting types, saving the City money on energy bills.
In addition to using less energy, LEDs give off a broader spectrum of white light than fixtures with high-pressure sodium (HPS), providing a greater sense of security to the public.
This is the second time the City has been awarded EECBG funding. In 2010 the City used a portion of its EECBG funds to install LED streetlights on: Tennyson Road between Mission Boulevard and Tampa Avenue; on Jackson Street between the BART tracks and Santa Clara Street; on C Street between Watkins Street and Foothill Boulevard; and on Main Street between C Street and A Street.
Other LED installations and retrofits have included the addition of LED lights on Mission and Foothill Boulevards as part of the Route 238 Corridor Improvement Project and a retrofit project funded by the California Energy Commission in 2013. The latter effort resulted in 7,750 existing streetlights being converted from high-pressure sodium (HPS) to LED.
However, there are approximately 1,750 streetlight fixtures that still need to be converted to energy efficient LEDs. These streetlights include decorative fixtures that are not LED and early generation LED cobra heat fixtures that are not as energy efficient as modern LED. On February 18, 2025, City Council authorized the City Manager to accept and approve the $100,000 for the EECBG streetlight retrofit project.
DISCUSSION
Since the City Council’s authorization of the original $100,000 in EECBG funding, there have been changes to both the project scope and available funding.
The original grant guidelines limited eligible streetlight retrofits to neighborhoods that have been marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution, as identified through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Justice40-related criteria and the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. Subsequent changes to federal program requirements removed this geographic eligibility restriction. Staff continued to prioritize areas of the City 2 https://hayward.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6058174&GUID=DA9115BB-9DE5-4351-BFEE-23BFF314E514&Options=&Search=
with greater infrastructure needs and identified areas along Oliver Drive. Separately, staff evaluated other areas of the City where streetlight fixtures remain to be converted to LEDs and identified the downtown area as a priority for the project.
Staff originally anticipated retrofitting approximately 200 streetlight fixtures with highefficiency LED fixtures. However, project costs have increased because several existing streetlight globes have become yellowed or cloudy over time and need to be replaced as part of the retrofit to ensure adequate light output and performance. The increased cost of the retrofit reduced the number of streetlights that can be converted within the original $100,000 allocation to 78.
In addition, the EECBG technical assistance project from which the City received technical assistance funding was suspended in January 2025, with no assurance that the project would resume. Staff therefore worked with DOE EECBG staff to reallocate $19,704 from the technical assistance project to the City’s streetlight retrofit project. This additional funding will help offset increased project costs and support the continued conversion of streetlights to high-efficiency LEDs.
The EECBG equipment voucher requires the City to purchase and install the eligible streetlight equipment and submit documentation of the project costs to receive reimbursement. To proceed with the project using the additional funding, staff is requesting that the City Council authorize the City Manager to accept and appropriate the additional $19,704 in EECBG funding, increasing the total funding available for the streetlight retrofit project from $100,000 to $119,704.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Switching streetlight fixtures to energy efficient LED reduces energy usage and consequently energy costs. This streetlight conversion project is estimated to generate annual savings of approximately 31,980 kWh of electricity and $10,920 in utility and maintenance costs.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item supports the Strategic Priority of Champion Climate Resilience & Environmental Justice outlined in the Council’s Strategic Roadmap although it does not fit into a specific project.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
Energy experts have estimated that the conversion of high-pressure sodium (HPS) streetlights to energy efficient LED, particularly those that are ENERGY STAR rated, result in at least 75% energy savings. LED lights also tend to last at least two times longer than HPS lighting, resulting in less waste.3
3https://www.energy.gov/femp/articles/led-provides-effective-and-efficient-parking-area-lighting-navfac-engineering-service
PUBLIC CONTACT
No public contact has been made for this item.
NEXT STEPS
If Council adopts the attached resolution, staff will continue to take the necessary steps to convert the streetlight fixtures to LED.
Prepared by: Mireille Vargas, Sustainability Specialist Erik Pearson, Environmental Services Manager
Byron Tang, Deputy Director of Public Works - Transportation Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Approved by:
______________________________
Jennifer Ott, City Manager