This is how Edison Next has managed the public lighting of the city of Lleida to make it more efficient.

In 2012, the municipality of Lleida proposed renovating its lighting infrastructure using an ESE (Energy Service Company) model, aiming to reduce the energy consumption of its public lighting and modernize its lighting installations, while also adapting them to new regulations. We are talking about a city that at that time covered 213.3 km², had approximately 140,000 inhabitants, 23,014 lighting points, and 290 lighting control panels. After considering significant medium-term energy savings, and using 2013 consumption as a baseline, we were awarded the municipal contract. The project began on January 1, 2014, and will end on December 31, 2026. To carry it out, a public tender was launched for a 12-year contract, where the winning company would make an initial investment to be amortized over the contract years, during which it would maintain the installation under a full warranty model, ensuring its proper operation. This initial investment work was to be completed during the first year of the contract and would provide a minimum energy saving of 35%. But at Edison Next (in a joint venture with Romero Polo within the UTE Lleida LLum), we were ambitious and proposed a 47.6% saving in the tender bid. This figure has been far exceeded, reaching 68%. The economic study of the contract was structured around seven services: 1- Energy Management: proper operation of the installations, energy control, and remote management. 2- Investment Amortization: we carried out the lighting renovation work to achieve the minimum savings offered and assumed the initial costs under this service. 3- Maintenance: preventive and regulatory inspections and controls to ensure the perfect operation and performance of the outdoor lighting installations and all their components. 4- Full Warranty: repair or replacement of the elements covered by this warranty. 5- Improvement and Renovation Works: carrying out improvement and renovation works on the outdoor lighting installations. Their cost was assumed by the winning company and paid and amortized monthly by the City Council through service 2. 6- Investments in Energy Savings and Renewable Energy: to promote further energy savings. These over-investment costs are assumed by the company under this service. The extraordinary savings generated by these investments are shared between the City Council and the contractor, who will thus amortize the over-investment. These installations can be proposed throughout the contract. 7- Complementary Works: improvement of existing installations that do not correspond to specific tasks from the other services. This item includes replacement of supports due to accidents, installation improvement actions, costs of repairing defects found in periodic inspections not included in other items, corrective repairs, etc. At the same time, the project’s Technical Specifications (PCT) also includes other actions to be carried out, such as the annual review of control panels, lines, supports, luminaires, and all installation elements; biannual cleaning of all lighting points; visual inspection of all points in the city every fifteen days (night rounds); painting the installation supports every six years; repairing damage caused to the installation by accidents, vandalism, and theft; managing electricity bills and controlling supplies to adjust contracted power; or providing a 24/7 emergency response and service, among others. At Edison Next, we improved the initial proposal with the help of the municipal technical services and expanded it with a new investment that would be amortized through the savings achieved. This operation was already facilitated by the PCT in its item 6. The starting point of the final proposed solution was to increase the savings achieved and the number of LED luminaires, electronic drivers, and metal halides. To do this, we acted on 100% of the city’s lighting points. The actions focused on switching to LED technology and installing electronic drivers with point-to-point regulation, whether using VSAP or HM. During the contract, the number of lighting points has increased due to the city’s growth and the installation of new luminaires to improve existing areas. Over these contract years, the inventory of points has gone from 23,014 in 2013 to 25,728 in 2021. All new additions have been made with LED technology. With the actions carried out, average savings of 67.2% were achieved in the 2014-2020 period. The minimum saving value for the tender was 35%, the contractor’s bid was 46.7%, and the final result was 67.2%. Eight years after the change, and with the perspective that this time offers, the city of Lleida positively assesses the change in terms of energy savings and compliance with efficiency and light pollution decrees. The changes were made at a time when LED technology prices were high and yields were low compared to current ones, but despite these two factors, Lleida clearly bet on innovation and the necessary change. The savings achieved have been maintained, as has the service level of the installations.