Cities across Minnesota are finding real savings converting their streetlights to LEDs. We spoke with Brian Jeremiason, Energy Services Manager with Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative, to learn more about his experiences.
Joel Haskard: It sounds like you have several LED streetlight projects in the works. Can you tell us more?
Brian Jeremiason: We completed the conversion for the City of Russell this past spring, and hope to get started soon in the communities of Lynd and Arco.
Joel Haskard: Why switch to LED streetlights?
Brian Jeremiason: We were approached by the City of Russell, they were looking for ways to reduce their energy usage and costs. We identified the streetlight conversion project as an easy to implement improvement that could meet both goals. In 2012, street lighting in the City of Russell accounted for 84,473 kWh of usage and cost the city and its residents $9,713. There were 102 light fixtures in the existing configuration, ranging from 100 watts to 400 watts per fixture. The new configuration utilizes 104 lights using 48 watt LEDs. With these changes, we’re looking at a potential annual energy savings of 61,557 kWhs per year, and approximately $5,570 in reduced energy costs to the city and our members. Below are the before and after photos in Russell.
Joel Haskard: What have the responses been like so far from community members?
Brian Jeremiason: The most common responses we’ve had from community members are that they are brighter and that visibility at the street level has improved. The city council is happy with the savings, and have additionally reported positive community feedback.
Joel Haskard: Do you have any advice to share with other cities or their utilities who may be considering installing LED streetlights?
Brian Jeremiason: Plan ahead, we didn’t anticipate the longer lead times to get the inventory in stock. Ideally we would have worked on the project earlier in the year, before our busy construction period starts in the spring. It also worked well for us to have an “on the ground” presence during the process. With a visible project like this, it was great to have an employee available to speak with community members to answer questions and address concerns throughout the process. Our crews were able to quickly, safely, and efficiently swap out the entire community in about 3 days.
Joel Haskard: Didn’t you get a chance to present at the CERTs 2015 Conference about your work?
Brian Jeremiason: I did! It was a great session, with interest from many local governments and utilities. You can download my presentation if you like.
Want to learn even more? Click here to see the CERTs webpage on LED Street Lighting >>
Is your local government interested in upgrading to LED street lighting? You should consider the Guaranteed Energy Savings Program to finance the improvements.
About the Local Government Energy Action Series:
This effort tells the stories of Minnesota municipalities, counties, and schools and the tangible results of their energy-saving efforts to inspire others to take their own actions.
