Duke to replace street lights
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on January 5, 2016 1:46 PM
The Goldsboro City Council recently approved a measure that will see more than 200 sodium vapor street lights replaced with LED lights along Ash Street and Slocumb Street.
A total of 217 lights will be replaced -- 173 on Ash Street, and 44 along Slocumb Street. Duke Energy will work with contractors to replace the light fixtures, as the city does not own the street lights that will be replaced.
The majority of the city's street lights are 22,000 lumen sodium vapor lights, and through the replacement effort will be cycled out in favor of LED 105 and LED 150 lights, which are mercury free.
Public Works Building and Traffic Superintendent Rick Fletcher said the primary reason for the initiative is the cost savings LED lights will provide to the city.
The total upgrade cost for the lights is $10,550, and there will be a cost-savings for the city of $4,601 annually. This will allow the city to break even on the cost of replacing the lights in slightly more than two years.
"The primary reason (for replacing the street lights) is because of the cost savings, and making an effort to be a greener city," Fletcher said. "There was nothing wrong with the lighting we have, but this is better for the environment and the payback (return on investment) is a short turnaround."
This initiative to partner with Duke Energy to replace the 217 street lights began well over a year ago, Fletcher said, and the ball will start rolling on the project now that funding has been approved by the City Council.
But Fletcher said he was not comfortable estimating exactly when the project would begin because the city will be operating on Duke Energy's timetable for the project, and the city is still waiting to hear from Duke Energy on when the project will start.
The city will also be replacing many of its streetlights downtown as part of the LED replacement initiative, Fletcher said, as funding was also approved for that project.
Fletcher said the bulk of LED replacements downtown will occur on Walnut Street, city owned parking lots and in areas behind the police and fire department complex.
The lights being used in these areas have a low energy efficiency and can have steep costs to replace or repair. Lights on Walnut Street and around City Hall currently cost $19,000 per year to operate.
Switching these light fixtures to an LED equivalent is expected to save the city $14,000 per year, or 70 percent of operating costs for the lights.
Upgrading and replacing lights in this area will cost $22,000, and the city is expected to break even on that investment in slightly more than a year and a half after replacement.
The total cost of the two projects to replace light fixtures downtown, on Ash Street and on Slocumb Street will be $32,550, which will come from the city's unassigned fund balance.