The historic antique gas lamps that line the streets of Beacon Hill are a signature of the neighborhood’s vintage charm, but some locals have requested a new, more environmentally friendly alternative.

The lamps on Temple Street could be replaced with electric ones after residents of the street petitioned the city to make the switch.

“Temple Street had an issue where many of the trees died last year all at once, and a petition was circulated among the neighbors asking the city to replace the leaky gas infrastructure with electric infrastructure,” said State Representative Jay Livingstone, who represents the area.

The city included money in the budget for fiscal year 2020 to begin the process of making the change, although it would most likely not be implemented for at least a year, as the community needs to be consulted about the best way to go about it in order to preserve the historic feel of the street. The switch would be treated as a pilot project for the city, to see if it would be effective for the entire neighborhood.

Rob Whitney, chair of the Beacon Hill Civic Association, said that the group has not heard very much yet about what the project would entail, and is working on setting meetings with the city and National Grid in the coming weeks to discuss the lamps and the potential gas leaks coming from them.

“If there’s a safety issue, lets deal with it right now,” Whitney said. “Then, if you want to have another discussion to save money for the city or fix climate change issues, then let’s talk about that next.”

Whitney said that while city officials have been attempting to replace some of the gas lamps for decades, they have always been blocked by residents who treasure them for their historic value. “Most Beacon Hill residents would not be in favor of getting rid of all of the gas lamps,” he said. “What we would like to see is a discussion with the residents of Beacon Hill about removing these historic lamps that have been here a long time and that really add something to this neighborhood.” There are approximately 2,800 gas streetlights in Boston, most of which are in Beacon Hill. A representative from the Boston Department of Public Works could not be reached before deadline.