SMART TOWN STREET LIGHTING: REDUCING COSTS, SAVING ENERGY, PROTECTING DARK SKIES

Street lighting is one of a town's more expensive utility bills. Most cities and towns currently use old, inefficient light fixtures with drop-down lens fixtures that spill and waste light to the sides and upward to the sky. Through a community-wide streetlight initiative, towns can save money, reduce energy use, and cut down on night time light pollution.  For more information contact SERG. 

Smart street lighting strategies towns might consider include: 
•    Removing unneeded lights
•    Avoiding street lighting in low-density and rural areas
•    Lighting for the task (pedestrian walkways and intersections)
•    Upgrading to more efficient lamps and fixtures
•    Installing full cut-off fixtures, with lenses that do not extend below the fixture thereby preventing light spillage to the sides
•    Placing lights in low-traffic areas on timers to shut off during the middle of the night
•    Considering purchasing municipally owned fixtures, rather than leasing them from the local electric utility. This will expand the town's options for lights, fixtures, and controls and could result in financial savings to the town
•    Encouraging adoption of zoning bylaw amendments that achieve shared goals for energy conservation, efficiency, and protection of the night sky