Green Energy: Cary Getting LED Street Lights

Cary, NC — Town of Cary is partnering with Duke Energy to replace 80% of the 10,000 street lights in Cary with low-energy LED fixtures. The program should save about $200,000 in energy costs each year.

Cary Getting LED Streetlights

From Town of Cary via email:

CARY, NC – It will cost less to light the night in Cary thanks to new LED street light technology selected by the Town of Cary with assistance from Duke Energy Progress.

Starting January 27 and over the next 12 months, nearly 8,000 of the 10,000 street lights the Town of Cary leases from Duke Energy Progress will be replaced with Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology.

Reducing “Light Spill”

The leased fixtures feature a Type III lighting pattern to help direct light onto the street while reducing spill light to adjoining properties.

Installation

Installation will occur weekdays from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; temporary and minor traffic shifts are anticipated throughout the duration of the project.

Cost/Savings

The new street lighting system will cost less than $385,000 to implement and result in an annual savings of over $200,000; currently, the Town’s annual street light bill is close to $1.75 million. This project does not include replacing street light poles.

“LED fixtures now available are more cost effective and provide improved quality of light compared to our current light fixtures,” said Project Engineer Kyle Hubert. “The project helps the Town to meet the goals of the June 2012 Council-approved Strategic Energy Action Plan of reducing energy use and associated carbon footprint by more than 50 percent.”

First in NC

While Cary is the first municipality in North Carolina to work with Duke Energy Progress on a leased fixture replacement project of this scale, this is not the Town’s first street light partnership project with Duke Energy Progress.

In 2010 and using Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Town and former Progress Energy installed 34 LED street lights at the following locations: James Jackson Avenue at the Garmon Operations Center; NW Cary Parkway at the North Cary Park entrance; Cary Train Depot parking lot; and on Ambassador Loop at Town Hall Campus.

Since the installation, the Town has saved about $5,000 annually and received positive feedback from citizens on the quality of light.

The attached map will be updated monthly showing project progress.

To track the installation progress, including completed and upcoming areas, and for more project information, search “LED Street Lights” at www.townofcary.org or call (919) 469-4030.