The town of Clifton Park is planning to replace 610 of its street lights with long-lasting LED bulbs. According to Supervisor Phil Barrett, the energy saving will sum up to $5 million over 20 years. In order to get the project started the town will have to purchase all of the streetlights from National Grid and New York State Electric and Gas.
“I enjoy the challenge of finding an opportunity to reduce the cost of running the government,” Barrett said on Sunday. “This plan is a substantial victory.”
The poles on which the lights are attached will remain in the hands of the utility companies. However, the lights and the body that illuminates the streets and most intersections will be under the maintenance of the Town. A town crew will be trained to care and repair the lights by Siemens, a global energy company, which is managing the project.
“The town board voted unanimously to work with Siemens in March,” Barrett said. “They have a great deal of experience on projects of this type – from start to finish.” “At this point, I’m not sure what it will cost initially,” Barrett said. “The change is favourable financially. The savings are powerful.” Barrett said the LED lights should bring the town’s electric bill down by 60 to 65 percent.
After the purchase is carried out, old bulbs will be replaced with LED bulbs, which are guaranteed to last 10 years. The transition is surely going to eliminate the town’s facility cost, which it pays to the electric companies. The project is going to be completed in a years’ time.
