Fairfax County announced on Apr. 27 that its multiyear effort to convert streetlights to high-efficiency LED fixtures is close to completion. The project aims to save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure that roadway lighting meets current standards.
Dominion Energy installs, owns, operates, and maintains about 96 percent of the county’s 60,000 streetlights. Since the start of the coordinated plan with Fairfax County in 2019, more than 56,000 outdated mercury vapor, high-pressure sodium and metal halide fixtures have been targeted for replacement with LEDs.
As of March 2026, approximately 93 percent—or about 52,100—of Dominion Energy’s streetlights have been upgraded to LED technology. An additional 2,400 conversions are currently in Dominion’s queue for estimating and construction. When combined with other upgrades within the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative service area, these improvements have led to an estimated reduction in energy use for streetlight operations by about 56 percent.
The county said this initiative is a central part of its Operational Energy Strategy focused on lowering energy consumption and costs across government operations. In addition to upgrading public lighting infrastructure, LEDs are also being installed inside county facilities. According to officials, overall electricity use by county government has declined from over 260 million kilowatt-hours in Fiscal Year 2018 to approximately 217 million kilowatt-hours projected for Fiscal Year 2025.
The Department of Public Works and Environmental Services’ Capital Facilities staff have played a key role in planning and coordinating this large-scale conversion effort alongside Dominion Energy and other partners.
“These upgrades help make our infrastructure more cost-effective, climate-friendly and resilient while maintaining safe and reliable lighting for residents, businesses and visitors,” the release said.
