The Benefits of LED Street Light Upgrades
Street lighting is essential for urban environments because it offers illumination at night for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. This increases visibility as well as safety. When you consider street light installation within your community you can choose between traditional street lights or LED Street lights. LED street lights come with several benefits such as lower power consumption, longer lifespan, improved visibility, and better quality.
Understanding LED Street Lights
When you look at traditional lights for community street lights, they often use incandescent bulbs, and incandescent bulbs produce significant heat during operation, most of which does not get translated into light.
This means that a great deal of the energy used goes to waste and not to elimination. By comparison, LED lights are around 80% more efficient because instead of converting only 10% to 15% of their energy into light, LED lights convert 95% of their energy. This also reduces the amount of heat which eliminates the fire risk and offers brighter lighting and increased safety.
Key Benefits of LED Street Light Upgrades
So, what are the key benefits of smart LED street light installation?
1. Energy Efficiency
The biggest benefits of LED street light installation is the energy efficiency. LED street lights are significantly more efficient compared to conventional lighting. They consume less power and more of their energy gets directly converted into light which means the communities can have better illumination, increased safety, but without an increased bill.
2. Cost Savings
Communities everywhere need to save money where they can and investing in LED street light upgrades brings with it significant cost savings. Maintenance is lower, the lifespan is longer, and the energy consumption is lower with LED lights all three of which contribute to significant long-term savings.
Similarly, because they have a longer lifespan with increased brightness, LEDs don’t need to be installed as closely as traditional light, so if you are designing a new layout for an area of your city or community, you won’t need to purchase as many light fixtures.
3. Improved Safety and Visibility
As mentioned, the way in which LEDs work means that more of their energy gets converted into illumination, which means LED street lights have superior visibility with brighter illumination and higher lumen output. They even have higher color temperatures and increased uniformity in the distribution of light compared to traditional light bulbs, so illumination reaches a wider span.
4. Environmental Benefits
LED street light installation brings with it the environmental benefits of fewer emissions. LED lights consume far less energy, which means they generate fewer emissions. In fact, replacing street lights with LED technology can reduce 38,000 tons of annual greenhouse gas.
5. Smart Technology Integration
Modernization associated with LED lights means that communities can integrate smart technology when they upgrade their street lights to LED options. This integration means community leaders can control lighting from wherever they are, set up a schedule so that lights automatically turn on and off, or adjust brightness based on the natural light.
Some of the smart technology integration options will adjust the time that LED lights turn on and off based on the ambient lighting outside, which makes it easier to facilitate brightness throughout the year without having to manually adjust a schedule. Instead, the technology can automatically determine how bright it is, and as the sun stays out longer during the summer or shorter during the winter, adjustments can be made accordingly.
6. Durability and Reliability
LED lights have a significantly longer lifespan, lasting several decades before they need to be replaced. This means they are more reliable and durable, they don’t require maintenance as frequently, and a one-time investment now in upgrading street lights to LED versions means that communities don’t have to upgrade traditional light bulbs every few years.
7. Aesthetic and Design Flexibility
Street light installation with LEDs brings a lot of design flexibility in part because of the brightness, which means fewer lights are physically needed, and in part because of the better light quality and visibility. You can also have smart LED street light designs that conform to your city layout and style.
Street Light Installation Considerations
If you are considering upgrading your street light options to LED lights, you will need to:
- Determine your lighting needs prior to installation: The lights you use will need to be adjusted for areas that already have streetlights and are being upgraded to those without adequate light that have new lights installed. Take time to determine the effectiveness of current lighting situations or potential safety risks/crime in an area and what lighting is needed therein.
- Get the right permits: To install new LED street light options, you will need permits from utility companies or local governments. These will typically include sections for the types of lamps and bulbs that are required based on the area.
- Choose the equipment: When choosing LED street lights, you’ll need to consider the brightness, color temperature, and design. Most recommendations are color between 3000K-4000K. This temperature mimics natural light. However, some areas with high traffic may need brighter lights, and this color could be reserved for residential neighborhoods.
- Determine your layout and location: You should determine where the lights will be installed. You might need someone to measure between the lights or mark where you want the lights to be installed. Consider hiring an engineer to determine how closely together or far apart your lights need to be to avoid dark spots. This might mean modifying your existing layout as well.
Conclusion
There are several key benefits of LED street light upgrades, namely the longer lifespan, better illumination, lower costs, and increased safety. While there might be challenges in making modifications, transitioning to LED street lights can help reduce accidents, increase visibility, reduce crime, and encourage the walkability of an area. Consider LED street lights for future street light installations.