This month the city of Battle Ground will begin upgrading the city’s 2,300 streetlights to high-efficiency LED (light emitting diode) lighting.
The conversion from the current HPS (high-pressure sodium) lighting to LED will reduce power and maintenance costs as well as provide better, more reliable lighting. The cost of the project, nearly $530,000, is fully funded by a Washington State Transportation Improvement Board Relight Washington Program grant and Clark Public Utilities’ Energy Savings Incentives program.
LED fixtures use about 50 percent less energy, last four times longer than HPS fixtures, and provide better service reliability. With the conversion of all 2,300 streetlights, the city will realize an annual savings of approximately $53,000 in energy costs and another $15,000 on maintenance costs.
The new lights, rated at a color temperature of 3,000 Kelvin (K), produce a warm-white appearance. LED fixtures improve the amount of lighting on roadways. Unlike HPS fixtures that dump light in a non-directional pool, LEDs emit light in a wider, more focused beam, increasing visibility in dark spots between light fixtures. The more-targeted LED light also means less light waste or light pollution; with the new LED lighting, stars will appear more brilliant on a clear Battle Ground night.
The city has conducted tests of LED fixtures in both cobra-head style streetlights, located on main thoroughfares throughout the city, and in the decorative acorn-style streetlights located in neighborhoods. In 2012, a successful pilot project was conducted on cobra-head lights located on Rasmussen Boulevard. Both 27- and 36-watt, 3000K LED bulbs were installed in several streetlights in a residential neighborhood. Adjacent homeowners, as well as staff and members of the city council, stated their preference for the 36-watt LED bulb.
The LED streetlight conversion project will begin mid-January and take approximately four months to complete. More information on the LED Streetlight Conversion project is available on the city’s website at cityofbg.org/LED-lights.
— Source: City of Battle Ground
