Streetlight Study

The Lighting Research Center’s National Lighting Product Information Program has just published a Specifier Report on commercially available Steetlights used for collector roads. The results are pretty interesting considering all the LED hoopla we all have been subjected to in the industry over the past few years. Below is a take-off on the Abstract . . .
The organization purchased 14 streetlights (identified by a survey of Specifiers during 2009). Four of the streetlights were high pressure sodium (HPS), one was induction, one was pulse start metal halide (PSMH) and eight were LED. Using IES Recommended Practice guidelines in RP-8-00, the poles were laid out to meet required footcandle and contrast levels.

On average, the LED streetlights and the Induction streetlight could be spaced only about half the distance of the HPS and PSMH streetlights and still meet the IES RP-8-00 criteria. Meaning, a one to one replacement (as often suggested by manufacturers) may end up below acceptable light levels.

The Life Cycle cost is dominated by the initial product cost rather than the potential energy savings or maintenance cost and the other “more efficient” sources only offered 1% to 10% less power consumption per mile illuminated.

For further info, please check out the link below to the published document

http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/NLPIP/PDF/VIEW/SRStreetlights.pdf