This week, the City of Bryan, Ohio upgraded its street lighting with new LED lamps, making their nighttime lighting far more energy efficient than it used to be. The simple switch in lighting will is saving the City of Bryan 30-35% in energy costs – so why aren’t more cities doing it?
Bryan goes green with LED streetlights
The streets in Bryan used to be lit by 150-watt high pressure sodium (HPS) lights, but City officials knew they could be using a more efficient bulb. The city applied for a grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and were awarded $540,000 to use in the purchase of 1,400 energy efficient streetlights.
After researching the most energy efficient lights for street lighting purchases, Bryan Municipal Utilities selected 80W Cobraheads produced by Cooper Lighting, as well as 70W Decorative Post Top Luminaires.
Click here to check out a PDF showing more of Cooper’s LED streetlight offerings.
Getting more cities on board
If every city in the United States were to switch to energy efficient LEDs to light their streets, and accomplish the same energy savings which were realized in Bryan, the amount of strain put on the energy grid would be reduced by an enormous amount. Although it takes an upfront investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars – and much more for a larger city – the payoff and quick return on investment should encourage many more cities to take a closer look at switching to energy efficient LED streetlights.
