To all, this is what is happening since the City Council Public Comment session on January 6th: 1. At Mayor Turner's request, CenterPoint Energy and Public Works are doing a financial analysis of what it would cost to change the course of the LED street lighting. We need to make sure they also look at the possibility of changing the contract going forward at least if a retrofit of already installed fixtures is not possible in the near future (over 46,000, completions mostly in northeast Houston). 2. We are in touch with two excellent lighting designers who know what is happening with LED installations nationwide: James Benya of Davis, CA and Chris Monrad of Tucson, AZ. They have been keeping us posted on which cities are moving to better quality and warmer LED street lighting. These include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Cambridge, MA, and possibly Honolulu. Phoenix and Honolulu have halted their plans for white lighting to look at better options and Phoenix has already told us they are looking seriously at warmer colors. 3. The efficiency of warmer colored LEDs has improved dramatically since Houston did its planning. It is now only about 4% less efficient as opposed to about 20% less efficient a few years ago. Combined with more comfortable wattages in residential areas, proven to have even BETTER overall visibility of the scene, real energy savings are possible for Houston and we are making that case. These savings are being realized in other cities now. 4. Jonathan Day, concerned lawyer and petition signer is in the process of contacting other cities for any documentation about changes in LED lighting contracts including financial implications. So far, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix have responded. 5. In order to try to counteract the notion that 4000K is a national standard that should be followed, I have contacted IESNA (the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America) to ask them if the recommendations for LED street lighting will be changing imminently or if they already have. They have promised to get back to me when the people in charge of standards are back in the office this week. Chris Monrad and James Benya do not seem to think there really is a national "standard" and that even if there were, all sorts of lighting has taken its turn in the past only to be bumped by better choices which we certainly have now. 6. I have only recently seen several high glare LED lights in a row on a straight away with no trees intervening and no older bulbs to break up the glare. These were the lights immediately west of the traffic light at South Braeswood and Rice Blvd. I could barely look at the traffic light to wait for it to turn from red to green. It was horrendous, and this was only five in a row. There was strong white glare visible for all of those lights low in the field of driving vision. As more are put in, it will be almost impossible to avoid looking at LED glare at all times while driving. We can do better! 7. If you know of others who are not yet aware, send them this petition. Tell them we are asking for glare reduction three ways: warmer color, better cutoff angle so we see less of the direct LEDs when looking straight ahead, and less intensity in residential neighborhoods, which will save energy and be more than adequate if glare is reduced because the resultant light will seem brighter to the eye. I am including an image of how this works: Downing Street in London using warm (3000K) fully shielded decorative street lighting. Notice the expected lifetime of 20 years. This is why we must do this right the first time!