RESIDENTIAL STREET LIGHTING
Eliminate Overlighting
Why Convert to LEDs? LEDs are Twice as Efficient as Existing Street Lights



For the Nerds
The formal name for night vision is “scotopic vision” – the vision of the eye under low light conditions. The term comes from Greek skotos meaning darkness and -opia meaning a condition of sight. In the human ete cone cells are nonfunctional in low light – scotopic vision is produced elusively through rod cells which are most sensitive to wavelengths of light around 498 nm (green-blue) and are insensitive to wavelengths longer then about 640 nm (red.)
90% of Residential Streets are Overlit
(Illuminating Engineering Society of North America)
And sometimes as high as 400%!!
Source Data
Representative sample of 6,000 lights from 8 BC municipalities.
Converting Residential Lights to LEDs Saves up to 85% of Residential Street Light Energy Costs and 85-90% of Maintenance Costs
(BC Hydro Estimate)
*Here’s why
- LEDs last 15 years versus 5 years for an HPS bulb
- LEDs luminaires can be spray-cleaned from the street – no cherry-picker required
- HPS to LED Energy Savings
- +
Wattage Reduction - +
Maintenance Savings - =
BIG SAVINGS!
Typical Savings Scenario
- Energy Cost*/Light*
- Maintenance Cost/Light
(BC Hydro Estimate) - Total Cost/Light
- $67.68
- $34.50
- $102.08
- $10.44
- $4.40
- $14.84
- $57.24
- $30.10
- $87.24
- $858.60
- $451.50
- $1,310.10
Existing HPS 150W Operating Costs | New LED Operating Costs | Annual Savings | Savings Over 15 Years (Life of LED) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Energy Cost*/Light* | $67.68 | $10.44 | $57.24 | $858.60 |
Maintenance Cost/Light (BC Hydro Estimate) | $34.50 | $4.40 | $30.10 | $451.50 |
Total Cost/Light | $102.08 | $14.84 | $87.24 | $1,310.10 |
Bottom Line
A municipality replacing 10,000 150W HPS residential lights with LEDs
will save $13,000,000** over 15 years = $870,000 per year
Here’s the math
*Energy costs are calculated at the BC Hydro approved rate for street lights of $0.03 per input watt (includes HPS bulb and ballast) per month.
**$1,310 savings/light over 15 years
x 10,000 residential lights
= $13,100,000 for 15 years
= $873,333 per year
Source data
Statistical analysis of a representative sample of 6,000 lights from eight BC municipalities.