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Development Services » Traffic Engineering » Street Lights » LED Light Testing
LED STREET LIGHTS
What Are LEDs?
LEDs (light-emitting diodes) have been around since the 1960s. You've probably seen them used in consumer products. They perform dozens of different jobs and are found in all kinds of devices. Among other things, they form the numbers on digital clocks, transmit information from remote controls, light up watches and tell you when your appliances are turned on. Collected together, they can form images on a jumbo television screen or illuminate a traffic light. Recently, however, they have become practical for general lighting purposes. Although they cost more upfront than the bulbs they replace, LED lights use half the energy (or less) and last longer than conventional bulbs, resulting in big savings, reduced maintenance and short payback periods. One specific advantage of LEDs is that they produce directional light. This gives us more control over what we light and what we don't, reducing light pollution and wasted energy.
Why New Lighting?
The City and NCDOT began replacing incandescent traffic signals and pedestrian signals with LED traffic signals in 2004. This has resulted in a 75% reduction in power consumption for the City maintained signals. The City of Wilmington paid over $34,000.00 for streetlight power last year. The City is investigating using LED lighting for streetlights with the hope of cutting the power cost for city owned streetlights by 50% or more. Another advantage of LEDs is that they produce directional light giving us more control over what we light (i.e. the sidewalk) and what we don't (i.e. the night sky) reducing light pollution and wasted energy. Reducing overall power and maintenance cost is in keeping with the City's commitment to reduce operating expenses without sacrificing the quality of service to our citizens. Additionally switching to the new LED technology complements the City’s 2006 endorsement of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Among other things, the agreement encourages cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Where Are We Now?
With LED technology improving to the point that street and parking lot lighting is feasible, the City has begun testing products to see if they will meet our needs. That is, will they be safe, attractive, and save money? We count our city among a small group of communities leading the way in this innovative technology.
We are currently testing a replacement for the High Pressure Sodium bulbs used in the ornamental streetlights throughout the downtown area. These test units are on the west side of Third Street between Princess and Chestnut Streets, directly across from City Hall. The current HPS bulbs consume in excess of 150 watts of power; the new LED units use less than 30 watts. To comment on the new LED streetlights, send an email to streetlights@wilmingtonnc.gov.
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