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Streetlight energy efficiency
Published 11:44am Thursday, February 18, 2010By KEVIN P. ANDERSON
City Manager
I recently reported on the overall approach staff has undertaken to reduce the cost of street lighting without compromising public safety. Last week electric crews began the installation of new, high-efficiency light fixtures in four areas of the city: four decorative lights on Front Street and Main Street (two at the southwest corner of Main and S. Front, one at 208 S. Front, one on Main Street directly in front of Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital) and three standard street lights on N. Mill, starting at E. Division Street.
These fixtures are being done as part of a pilot program that will determine whether or not a more extensive program will be undertaken.
The new fixtures convert the city’s existing lights (a combination of metal halide, mercury vapor and high-pressure sodium fixtures) to magnetic induction lighting technology.
Key advantages to this new type of lighting system include: production of a high-quality “white” light; an expected bulb life span exceeding 20 years; relatively consistent light output throughout the bulb’s life; and an estimated 40 percent to 50 percent reduction in overall energy and maintenance costs.
Cities typically purchase entirely new light assemblies at a cost of $600 to $1,200 per light.
Through a special collaboration with local businessman Larry Seurynck and his colleague Jon Gallagher, both representatives of American Green Technology, a one-of-a-kind retrofit design was developed that saved hundreds of dollars per light installation.
This new experimental retrofit fixture was developed to preserve most of the existing lighting components, and thus costs less than $250 each.
These retrofit fixtures can be used on the city’s decorative lights and many of the standard lights in residential neighborhoods.
Cobra head lights used along the highways in other areas of the city requiring a high degree of visibility involve installation of completely new fixtures.
One such fixture was installed at the intersection of Mill Street and E. Division Street.
The city recently received an energy efficiency grant that will further these efforts by funding the purchase of 50 retrofit fixtures for the downtown decorative lights and five cobra head LED street lights.
Study results will be quantified and summarized in a brief report sometime in 2010, which will be the basis for developing future recommendations.
