A Bright Idea: Towns Update Street Lighting, Save Money

By the time Duke Energy Progress announced last fall that it would begin replacing more than 100,000 mercury vapor street lights with LEDfixtures, Carthage was already enjoying the cost savings from converting.

We were the first to do it in Moore County, Town Manager Tom Robinson said Monday. I was real proud of little Carthage to be a leader.

The $9,250 project started last May, and 424 street lights were converted by the end of June.

They were done quickly, said Dina Tharp, the towns administrative assistant. Everything went smoothly. Weve had nothing but positive feedback. Everyone is happy with the new lighting.

Duke Energy Progress announced its lighting modernization program last September after receiving approval from the N.C. Utilities Commission to begin replacing mercury vapor street and area lights with advanced light emitting diode, or LED.

Weve heard from our customers that they want more energy-efficient lighting options and we want to be responsive, Emily Henson, the utilitys director of outdoor lighting, said at the time. Weve designed a lighting option that is both efficient and economical. In most instances, there will be no additional cost to the lighting customer as a result of the fixture replacements. Many customers will actually experience a price decrease.

Robinson said Carthage is saving $3,464 annually, which will help the town crawl back toward break-even.

Weve been operating at a deficit for the past six or seven years, he said. Were trying to live within our means, and that certainly helps. The new lighting is much better than the old lighting. Were being good stewards of the towns money and improving services at the same time.

Duke Energy Progress sought feedback from large outdoor lighting customers, including municipalities, in developing its mercury vapor replacement strategy. The utility also worked closely with the N.C. League of Municipalities to provide LEDtechnologies at reasonable prices.

This initiative will bring advanced LEDlighting to many of the communities we serve, Henson said in a news release.

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A Bright Idea: Towns Update Street Lighting, Save Money