Marlborough went to LED Street Light to Save Residents $$
Photo by Katherine Gu on Unsplash
In 2018 the Marlborough Energy committee researched and provided the Selectmen with the information necessary for bids to replace the street lights with LED lamps. Marlborough now has better lighting at less cost.
A rebate from Eversource plus the efficiency of the LED lamps means the town will break even on the up-front costs in two years (2020). From that point, the highly efficient and durable LED lamps will save 40% – 50% on our streetlight bill, about $9000 a year.
By Marge Shepardson – Chair Marlborough Energy Committee
Can other towns use Marlborough’s research & LED model to save research time and $$ for their residents?
Rindge in March 2019 that did just that!
The DPW Director asked the Energy Commission to investigate the feasibility of participating in a utility-sponsored streetlight replacement program. The Town of Marlborough is participating in the project and expects a payback of about one year.
Rindge participated in an ARRA grant program in 2010, that upgraded all streetlights from incandescent and other older technologies to the most energy-efficient lighting that PSNH offered at that time. Since the entire cost of the project was covered through a grant, it didn’t cost the town anything to convert. It saves the town approximately $5000/year compared with the costs before conversion.
Marlborough has generously shared all the details of their project and a copy of the RFP that could be customized for Rindge. Eversource has sent a copy of the streetlight ledger so the RFP can be easily populated with Rindge’s data.
The goals of upgrading streetlights to LEDs are to reduce energy consumption, cost, improve visibility and safety on the roads, and reduce light pollution.
The Town has approximately 47 existing streetlight fixtures to be converted to LED technology:
28 fixtures are 70-watt HPS (size code 47) producing 4,000 lumens
1 fixture is 100-watt HPS (size code 49) producing 9,500 lumens
2 fixtures are 100-watt HPS (size code 151) producing 9,500 lumens
1 fixture is 70-watt MH (size code 159) producing 5,000 lumens
3 fixtures are 100-watt MH (size code 162) producing 8,000 lumens
7 fixtures are 400-watt MH (size code 175) producing 36,000 lumens
5 fixtures are 150-watt HPS (size code 188) producing 16,000 lumens
This program is being supported by Eversource with a $100/fixture rebate. Marlborough converted 112 lights for a cost of about $23,000 before rebate and $12,000 after. They expect to save almost $9,000 per year on a $18,000 annual bill. Some of our fixtures are larger and more expensive than all the HPS lights Marlborough has, so the $100 per fixture may not go as far. The Energy Commission recommends budgeting $8,000 for this project with an anticipated simple payback of 18 months.
The Energy Commission supports this project and would be pleased to assist the Town Administrator and DPW Director in implementing it.
Rindge Energy Commission
Pat Martin, Chair