LED Color Temperature Selection Process

The Energy, Lighting and Communications Department in collaboration with other cities, Consumers 
Energy, Grand Rapids Police, Grand Rapids Traffic Safety and our contract electrical engineers evaluated 
street lighting LED’s ranging from 2200K to 5000K.

Some of the main considerations in the evaluation process included: increasing public safety, quality lighting, energy reduction, inventory standardization, consistency with local and state partners, and community collaboration.

Interested in the history of street lighting in Grand Rapids?

Check out this article from the History of Grand Rapids website

Detection Distance

We reviewed detection distance data for pedestrian safety. Below is a sample of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. In this example comparing 1 foot candle of luminance at 2200K, 4000K, and 5000K we see the detection distance for the 2200K is approximately 24% less than the 4000K and 5000K.

Visibility and Quality of Lighting

We reviewed visibility for public safety. Below is a sample of data from the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. In this example, we can see the 4000K LED provides
increased crisp visibility when compared to the 2200K and 5000K LED’s.

Energy Consumption

We evaluated energy consumption for 2700K, 3000K, 4000K, and 5000K LED’s, this was measured in 
Lumens Per Watt.

Energy Comparison by Color Temperature

The City’s annual cost for street lighting is approximately $1,000,000(before installing LED’s citywide), 5% 
and 7% efficiency difference represent $50,000 and $70,000 annually.

**Based on energy consumption measured in Lumens Per Watt our selection was 4000K.

Inventory Standardization and Roadway Design

The City evaluated the possibility of using both 3000K (local streets) and 4000K (major streets) LED 
streetlights. However, this would require stocking 33 LED types instead of 18 LED types, this would 
increase inventory and warehouse costs if both types are required. The cost to use two color 
temperature LED’s is estimated to increase annual cost $75,000.

The transition to a single LED temperature will also reduce costs for engineering, design, record keeping,
and maintenance. Staff will not have to spend time in determining which color temperature is to be 
used at which locations. Using a single color temperature will eliminate the variation in color at
intersections for major and local streets and in residential, business, commercial and downtown 
transitional areas of the city.

** Based on inventory, design cost reductions, and consistency in color a single-color temperature was 
selected.

Local and State Partners

We reached out to our local and state partners for discussions on their LED projects, which included the 
color temperatures they had selected.

Consumers Energy, City of Kentwood, City of Holland, and the City of Detroit all selected 4000K as their street lighting color standard.

**Based on collaboration with our utility partners 4000K was selected.

Grand Rapids Surveys

Public surveys were also conducted. However, the overall participation rate in surveys was very low. 

• Only 14 out of 494, or 3% participation rate in the post card survey.
• Only 35 community members out of 76,961 households, or 0.045% participation rate in the side-by-side comparison survey.

Streetlight HPS/LED Survey Results

We sent out 494 postcards in English and Spanish to 13 different locations throughout the city where 
new 4000K LED lights have been installed. We asked community members for feedback on these new 
lights.

• 14 community members responded to the survey. 
• 50% of respondents live in the 3rd Ward
• 36% of respondent live in the 2nd Ward
• 7% of respondents live in the 1st Ward
• 85% rate the quality of light to be excellent or good. 
• 71% rate the color of light to be excellent or good.
• 71% strongly agree or agree that the light provides the right amount of light for people driving and bicycling on the street. 
• 53% strongly agree or agree that the light provides the right amount of light for people traveling on the sidewalk.

3000K vs 4000K Streetlight Survey Results

We also selected 3 locations, one in each ward, to test streetlights displaying light at different 
temperatures. We installed lights at the 3000K and 4000K temperatures.

We installed new LED streetlights along:

• Broadway Avenue NW from 11th Street to Leonard Street
• Robinson Road SE from Youell Avenue to Woodmere Avenue
• Oakdale Street SE from Madison Avenue to Paris Avenue.

Six new LED streetlights were installed at each of these locations. Each streetlight was labeled; 3 lights 
were labeled “LED TEST A”, the remaining 3 were labeled “LED TEST B”. Each sign had instructions on 
how to take the survey.

The 3000K temperature lights were labeled LED TEST A and the 4000K temperature lights were labeled 
LED TEST B.

We shared this survey information with nearby neighborhood and business associations which included:

• Eastown Neighborhood Association
• Eastown Business Association
• Uptown CIA
• Oakdale Neighbors
• Seeds of Promise
• Martin Luther King Park Neighborhood Association
• West Grand Neighborhood Organization
• West Leonard Business Association

35 community members completed the survey.

• 77% respondents viewed the Robinson location
• 20% respondents viewed the Broadway location
• 3% respondents viewed the Oakdale location

Color of Light

• 68% rated the color of the 3000K (LED TEST A) lights excellent or good
• 38% rated the color of the 4000K (LED TEST B) lights excellent or good

 Quality of Light

• 70% rated the quality of light of the 3000K (LED TEST A) streetlights as excellent or good
• 45% rated the quality of light of the 4000K (LED TEST B) streetlights as excellent or good

Amount of Light

• 75% strongly agree or agreed that the 3000K (LED TEST A) lights provide the right amount of light for people driving and bicycling on the street
• 58% strongly agree or agree that the 3000K (LED TEST A) lights provide the right amount of light for people traveling on the sidewalk
• 64% strongly agree or agree that the 4000K (LED TEST B) lights provide the right amount of light for people driving and bicycling on the street
• 60% strongly agree or agree that the 4000K (LED TEST B) lights provide the right amount of light for people traveling on the sidewalk

* The 3000K and 4000K are both dimmable, the amount of light is adjustable

** Based on very limited data, there was a color and quality preference of the 3000K over the 4000K on Robinson. The main theme we heard from the people that prefer the 3000K over the 4000K relates to aesthetics.

Health Questions or Concerns

We also reviewed several publications that were either “for”, “against” or “neutral” on LED streetlighting, including the color temperatures of the LED’s. 

 
**Based on reviewing the various publications, it doesn’t appear there is a significant difference between 3000K and 4000K street lighting LED’s.

Grand Rapids Case Study – Engineering and Design

Case Study - Lake Drive in Eastown, 1,400' of road. Engineering design(photometrics) requires 15 LED’s at 100' spacing for 4000K and 17 LED’s at 90' spacing for 2700K. In this case study 13% more capital infrastructure, 13% increase energy consumption, and 13% more future assets to maintain would be required if we used 3000K instead of 4000K.

Conclusion 

Public safety is our primary goal for street lighting. We realize there are varying spectrums of LED lighting (2200K - 5000K) to choose for our Grand Rapids streetlights. After thorough evaluation of public safety, quality lighting, energy reduction, inventory standardization, consistency with local and state partners, and community collaboration we have selected 4000K as our color temperature standard for our Grand Rapids streetlights. The 4000K color is very similar to moonlight/natural, if we turned off all the streetlights and looked up on a full moon night this is the color we would see. The 4000K color also provides crisp visibility for vehicle drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and our public safety workers at night. We know that most accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists happen at night, and many of those are the result of poor visibility. We think it’s important to repeat, our primary goal in arriving at this decision was the safety of our residents and neighborhoods, which is a critical objective in the City’s strategic plan. Additionally, better lighting will make residents feel safer in their own neighborhoods. 

Our evaluation and selection process aligns with the City’s strategic plan in the following objectives: Residents feeling safe in their neighborhoods at all times, improving cost-effectiveness through asset management, continuous improvement and innovation, and community engagement through surveys for residents’ perception of City services, events, programs, and facilities.