Starting Tuesday, Affinity LED was scheduled to start converting 1,155 high-pressure sodium streetlights to LEDs, according to a news release from the city’s public works department. The project is expected to be nearly complete by the end of October, the release says.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $261,982, Duncan Watson, assistant public works director, said Wednesday. Eversource gave Keene a $100,000 rebate to help fund the conversion, and the energy savings the city sees once the new bulbs are installed is expected to pay back the remaining cost of installation in less than three years, according to the public works department.

The new streetlights, once up and running, are expected to save the city more than $1.5 million in energy costs over 20 years and reduce carbon emissions by more than 3,000 tons during the same time frame, the release says.

LED lights offer better light for visibility and safety at a lower cost than high-pressure sodium bulbs, according to the release. City officials plan to post a link on the public works department’s Facebook page for people to track the progress of the LED installation.

Highway officials say anyone with questions should call the public works department at 352-6550.