New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

NYSERDA How-to Guide to Effective
Energy-Efficient Street Lighting
for Municipal Elected/Appointed Officials
October 2002


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Table of Contents
Page
i. Introduction....................................................................................................................... 1

Purpose of this Guide.......................................................................................................... 1
I.
Effective Street Lighting Principals and Opportunities................................................ 3
Why Do We Use Streetlights? ............................................................................................ 3
What is Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting?.......................................................... 3
Technology Advances......................................................................................................... 4
Benefits of Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting ...................................................... 5
II. Project
Steps ...................................................................................................................... 7
STEP 1: Identify the Overall Project Goal ........................................................................ 7
STEP 2: Identifying Design Issues and Constraints ........................................................ 10
STEP 3: Communicate with Project Implementers (Designers/Engineers/Planners)...... 14
Summary of Steps 1, 2 and 3 ............................................................................................ 17
III.
Knowing Your Utility Service........................................................................................ 17
Available Technologies .................................................................................................... 17
Free Upgrades ................................................................................................................... 18
Leasing versus Owning..................................................................................................... 18
Utility Tariff Structure ...................................................................................................... 19
Maintenance Provider ....................................................................................................... 19
IV. Funding
Opportunities ................................................................................................... 19
NYSERDA Programs ....................................................................................................... 19
Federally Funded Programs .............................................................................................. 20
V. Promoting
Effective
Energy-Efficient Street Lighting Projects................................. 22
VI. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 24
Appendix A: Street Lighting Research and Technical References ....................................... 25
Appendix B: New York State High Efficiency Street Lighting Installations ....................... 27

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i. Introduction
Street lighting is an integral part of the municipal environment, serving communities and local
businesses, promoting economic development, and enhancing safety, security, and the aesthetic
appeal of surrounding property. However, many municipalities are not aware of all the available
choices in technology and design. While municipalities may have certain goals in mind, they
might not know how to begin the process or what questions to ask when researching
opportunities. New York State municipalities have expressed interest in a publication that
defines effective street lighting and provides guidance for municipal officials and planners in
implementing effective energy-efficient street lighting projects.
Purpose of this Guide
The NYSERDA How-to Guide to Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting for Municipal
Elected/Appointed Officials (the Guide) helps officials understand the issues surrounding street
lighting and the benefits of an effective energy-efficient design. Section I provides the necessary
information to understand what effective energy-efficient street lighting is and what its benefits
are for municipalities and the public. Section II outlines several steps that should be followed to
help clarify the street lighting project goal, and identify design issues and constraints. In
addition, the Guide provides information to help communicate effective energy-efficient street
lighting principles with vendors, utilities and design professionals, and to explain the benefits to
city/town officials, boards, municipal staff, local businesses and the general community.
This Guide can also be used:
To educate procurement staff about effective energy-efficient street lighting options.
To understand the important issues of effective energy-efficient street lighting, and gain
the knowledge to make informed street lighting procurement decisions.
To promote effective energy-efficient street lighting options to commissioners,
city/town/county officials and the general public.
As a reference source of effective energy-efficient street lighting installations within New
York State.
The NYSERDA How-to Guide to Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting is comprised of two
companion guides:
NYSERDA How-to Guide to Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting for Municipal
Elected/Appointed Officials
NYSERDA How-to Guide to Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting for Municipal
Planners and Engineers
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The NYSERDA How-to Guide to Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting for Municipal
Elected/Appointed Officials offers general information for decision makers at the city/town level.
The companion to this Guide, the NYSERDA How-to Guide to Effective Energy-Efficient Street
Lighting for Municipal Planners and Engineers, provides specific technical information for the
design and evaluation of the project. For your convenience, both guides are included in this
packet along with a list of existing effective energy-efficient street lighting installations in New
York State.
The NYSERDA How-to Guide to Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting is a valuable resource
to help make informed street lighting decisions. This Guide promotes current accepted practices
and is not intended to replace existing industry design specifications.
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I. Effective Street Lighting Principals and Opportunities
Why Do We Use Streetlights?
Municipalities generally install street lighting for practical reasons, and sometimes simply for
aesthetics. A municipal elected/appointed official should understand the reasons for street
lighting in order to convey the important needs of the project to budget committees, other
officials and the public. Several reasons for installing street lighting are:
To increase perception of safety and security.
To reduce vehicular accidents.
To improve pedestrian visibility.
To increase commerce.
To help create a particular architectural look or style.
To illuminate building facades and enhance surrounding architectural details.
To respond to public demand.
It is also worth noting that in some instances, in particular when issues of glare, light trespass, or
light pollution are of significant importance, it can be appropriate not to install street lighting at
all. This can be true particularly in some rural or suburban areas where vehicular traffic is light
and where residents' quality of life is enhanced by a relatively dark environment that maximizes
the view of the nighttime sky. Similarly, some street lighting projects might consist of
eliminating or reducing the use of lighting in certain areas.
What is Effective Energy-Efficient Street Lighting?
Effective energy-efficient street lighting uses a balance of proper energy-
efficient technologies and design layout to meet performance, aesthetic
and energy criteria required by pedestrians, motorists, community
residents, municipalities and utilities.
Today, most street lighting is selected based solely on providing a recommended amount of light
to a roadway, or as is the case with many business district improvement projects, selected based
on the general style of the pole and fixture to meet architectural requirements. Effective energy-
efficient street lighting design integrates efficient lamp technologies, optimum pole placement,
efficient fixture photometrics (light distribution), and aesthetics while using the least amount of
energy and meeting various visual performance requirements in addition to light levels.
Table 1 shows four street lighting options that provide similar illumination, but the lighting
quality and costs differ. Consider the following:
The Mercury Cobrahead option is a typical initial low cost inefficient light source. Notice
it uses a 400W bulb (consuming more energy) compared to the other lower wattage
options, plus its total annualized cost is high.
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The Metal Halide Cobrahead and Metal Halide Cutoff options are more efficient and
have a lower annual cost. The Cuttoff option better controls the light and reduces light
trespass (extraneous light on adjacent property).
The most energy-efficient and highest quality option (in terms of light contro