LED Street Light Conversion

Streetlight

ENERGY EFFICIENCY STREETLIGHT UPGRADE
PROJECT COMMENCES IN TOWN OF WALPOLE

The Town of Walpole recently launched the Streetlight Conversion Project, which will upgrade approximately 1,800 streetlights throughout the Town to Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures. The project, Walpole's first as a designated Green Community, was awarded to Tanko Lighting and commenced in October 2021 with an initial audit phase that identified the precise locations and characteristics of the Town’s existing streetlights. Not only will the project reduce the Town’s energy use, but it will also improve the color and quality of light throughout the Town – resulting in significant cost savings and increased public safety. 

LED installation is expected to begin later in the month of February 2022 and be completed in April 2022. Please check back to this page and the Project Installation Dashboard for regular project updates and progress of the ongoing installation. 

Click Here for the Project Installation Dashboard

For more information, please see contact: Patrick Shield, Asst. Town Administrator, 508-660-7288.  
(updated February 4, 2022)

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What kind of streetlights does the Town of Walpole currently use?
The majority of streetlights currently used in the Town of Walpole are High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights.  While HPS is one of the most common streetlight technologies across the country, HPS streetlights are not energy efficient and produce orange, low quality light under which it is difficult to see color. Recently, many cities and towns are transitioning to newer, more effective LED lights. 

What are LED streetlights?
Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are a technology that have been used in small electronic devices, such as calculators and digital clocks for decades.  More recently, LED technology has advanced to streetlight applications. LED streetlights are extremely energy efficient, have long life spans, and produce better quality light than HPS streetlights.

What color of light do LED streetlight fixtures produce?
In contrast to the orange light that HPS fixtures emit, LED streetlight fixtures produce a cooler, more neutral-colored light under which it is easier to see true colors.

Why do the new LED fixtures appear to be dimmer? 
HPS fixtures tend to produce a bright spot directly underneath the fixture, while LED streetlights are designed to evenly distribute light. This may give the illusion that they are dimmer, but this dispersion of light improves visibility by decreasing sudden contrast between light and dark areas. There is an in-depth design process which ensures that adequate lighting is provided by each fixture.

Why is the Town of Walpole doing an LED streetlight conversion project?
The goal of the town-wide conversion project is to reduce energy consumption and costs associated with streetlighting. In addition, the converted lights will require less maintenance and improve visibility and safety. This is also the first Green Community project the town is undertaking and once completed will reduce the total energy use of all town-owned assets by an estimated 1.5%.

How many streetlights is the Town of Walpole replacing with the LED streetlight conversion project?
This project will replace approximately 1,800 streetlights throughout the Town of Walpole, most of which are standard streetlights called cobraheads.

How much will the Town of Walpole likely save when it upgrades to LED streetlight fixtures?
The project is expected to save the Town of Walpole over 438,00 kilowatt hours and approximately $190,000 in energy costs in the first year after the project is implemented. 

How long will the project last?
The project began with a town-wide audit that provided precise locations and characteristics of all existing streetlights. The audit is being followed by installation of the new, energy efficient LED cobrahead streetlight fixtures, which will begin in February 2022 and is projected to complete in April 2022.

What are the benefits of the LED streetlight fixture project?
The benefits of this project include: 

  • Reduced energy consumption resulting in energy savings and reduced Greenhouse Gas emissions by an estimated 2% of all town-owned assets
  • Lower maintenance costs
  • Improved visible light for residents

What is the Town of Walpole doing with all of the streetlights it is removing?
The existing HPS streetlights will be recycled in accordance with all federal and state environmental guidelines.