Submitted by the Bedford Department of Public Works
As part of our on-going effort to reduce energy costs, the Town of Bedford has begun to convert 600 of our 1,500 street lights from High Pressure Sodium (HPS) to new LED fixtures. Click to view or print Bedford’s LED Streetlight Conversion Map.
The street light conversion project has three primary benefits:
- significant decrease in energy use,
- reduction in maintenance costs and
- renewal of equipment that has exceeded its expected useful life.
In addition, LED street lights offer improved nighttime visibility and a more uniform lighting distribution while reducing light pollution since all the light is focused downward. The Town’s typical street light is a 50 watt HPS; the replacement fixture is a 24 watt LED. Thus, the work is anticipated to save the Town approximately $1,200 per month due to an 8,000 kWh reduction in usage.
The project is being funded through a Green Communities Competitive Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy for a total price of $200,000. This upgrade in the eastern part of Town is the first phase of a program to replace the rest of the HPS street lights by applying for additional grants and rebates from NSTAR.
The field work is being done by Coviello Electric, Inc. and should be complete by the end of August. If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Public Works at (781) 275-7605 or check our website at www.bedfordma.gov .
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Don’t forget the costs of maintenance. I don’t know which way that would swing the 13 years but it could be significant. Also, what’s the expected lifespan? If they last 25 years then a 13 year payback would look pretty good.
I’m very proud to see this happening, frankly we are behind the curve when you looking at neighboring towns who have replaced 100% of their lamps. I’d also like to see LED’s replacing lamps at schools, town buildings, and parks.
It costs $200,000 and saves $1200/month. So that’s over 13 years before we break even.