Mesa receives $267K SRP rebate check for electric fire truck, LED park lights

Mesa officials received a $267,570 rebate check from local nonprofit and utility provider Salt River Project on Tuesday, May 28, for the city’s all-electric fire truck and more than 600 lighting upgrades at city parks.

The check will be reinvested into other city projects. Out of the total, $237,570 covers the LED posts at city parks, while the remaining $30,000 covers the all-electric fire truck and its DC fast charger.

It’s another milestone in a long-running partnership between SRP and the city, officials said.

“We’ve had a longstanding relationship with the city of Mesa. Over the years we’ve had all kinds of innovative programs for energy efficiency and savings that we can use throughout the community to benefit Mesa citizens as well as the larger community as a whole,” said Vanessa Kisicki, SRP associate general manager and chief customer executive. “We consider Mesa one of our strongest and biggest municipal partners in making a difference in this municipal energy space.”

Kisicki said a city adopting electric vehicles into its fleet is important for helping the larger community move toward an electric future. When the city starts to use electric vehicles, it not only reduces carbon emissions in the short term but also provides a model for the future in the long term.

“These types of electric vehicles really start to move a community towards electrification and more efficient use of energy resources. It reduces the carbon emissions that we have in our community, which is important for public health,” Kisicki said. “But it also is a big indicator of where we’re headed societally, and how we’re looking toward a more environmentally conscious and friendly future for our communities.”

Environmental benefits aside, the electric fire truck and upgraded lights at city parks provide an economic benefit to the city’s bottom line. Mesa Mayor John Giles explained how the focus on electrification helps the city be more cost-effective.

“Study after study has shown that the initial acquisition cost of electric vehicles is higher than that of gas vehicles. But shortly thereafter, by the time you factor in maintenance and fuel costs, electric vehicles are more cost-effective,” Mayor Giles said. “It’s a win-win. Financially, it’s better for the city and it’s also better for the environment.”

Mesa Parks and Recreation Director Andrea Moore spoke on the usefulness of the upgraded light fixtures at city parks and why she prefers them. Previously, city parks used metal halide lights, but are now starting to use LEDs.

Not only are LEDs more energy efficient, but they also provide a more controlled glare that doesn’t spill over into nearby residential areas, Moore said.

“They provide much better quality of light on the fields. They have better cutoff, so the glare from the lights doesn’t spill out into the neighborhoods. They’re much more controlled in being able to turn them on and off. Across the board, it’s better technology and less glare into the environment.” Moore said. “LED lights just perform better than the prior technology. The metal halide lights were very large consumers of energy but LED lights are able to light these fields by using significantly less power.”

Although his term is ending soon, Giles said he believes whoever replaces him as mayor will continue the city’s commitment to clean energy and its working relationship with SRP.

“I’m proud that Mesa is leading on this right now, but ultimately this is where every city will be. This is the future. I think it’s important for Mesa to be as close to the cutting edge of the future as possible so that we can not only benefit our environment, but our budget,” Giles said.