Work began in February to convert high pressure sodium (HPS) streetlight lamps used throughout Ferndale with energy-efficient, cost-saving light-emitting diode (LED) street fixtures.
The fixtures are being replaced by a two-man crew with a bucket truck working from 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. The city has been divided into sections, each requiring approximately 2-6 weeks to be converted. The plan is for all the streetlights within the city to be replaced.
Click here to see the conversion schedule to determine when your neighborhood is scheduled to be converted.
The project is estimated to save, according to the City of Ferndale website, an average of 25 to 30% in on-going power costs. Though LEDs cost more, they are expected to last about three times as long, which saves labor costs when replacing them and disposal costs. But the initial capital costs for this conversion are being covered entirely through the Relight Washington Program by the State of Washington Transportation Improvement Board (TIB).
Click for more information
Click for more informationThe Relight Washington Program is based on a belief that cost, energy and environmental benefits will return more than twice the installation expense over 15 years.
Neighbors will notice the new lights emit a whiter light, closer to daylight and similar to what you see in retail stores. LEDs emitting this cooler light consume less energy. The HPS lights being replaced emit a warmer yellower light.
The last time there was a national conversion of street lights was in the 1970s when HPS lamps, with their yellower light, replaced mercury vapor lamps which emitted a cooler white light. At first, general consensus was of disapproval of the HPS’s warmer yellow light. During a recent conversion from HPS to LED in Seattle, there was a similar dislike for the harsher cooler white light.