From the Decatur Minute blog…

The City of Decatur 2010 Strategic Plan calls for the City to be good stewards of environmental resources and one of the tasks in the plan is expanding the use of more sustainable lighting options on streets and within city parks and public areas.  In addition, the City of Decatur Police Department has received community feedback requesting better and brighter lighting to increase safety and deter criminal behavior in our neighborhoods and business districts.

To achieve those objectives, the City of Decatur LED lighting project is designed to provide quality lighting for city roadways and sidewalks and reduce electricity consumption. We have contracted with Georgia Power to upgrade approximately 1380 streetlights from high pressure sodium light fixtures to LED fixtures.

The benefits of the LED lights include:

• Smart LED streetlights enable Georgia Power and the city to monitor the system for non-functioning streetlights to improve system operation.
• Reducing street light energy consumption by 40% to 60%.
• Improving lighting quality and visibility to enhance street safety.
• Real-time communicating of non-operating streetlights for improved response.
• Eliminating the use of hazardous materials contained in sodium vapor lamps.
• Preserving the night sky.

Georgia Power has started replacing fixtures in the Winnona Park, College Heights, Lenox Place and Great Lakes neighborhoods.  We anticipate that it will take approximately one month to complete installation city-wide. The new LED lights are brighter than sodium vapor lights and emit a much clearer light. It will be different and they change the lighting along the street. Once city-wide installation is complete, we will be working with Georgia Power to make adjustments and add light shields, so please bear with us as the new lights are installed.

Photos courtesy of Georgia Power.

On the agenda for tonight’s city commission meeting – upgrading 1,379 streetlights inside the city limits from “high-pressure sodium (HPS) and mercury vapor (MV)” lights to LED.

In a memo, Asst. City Manager David Junger states that the initiative is part of “a statewide Georgia Power initiative to work with local governments to upgrade roadway lights to LED lights”.  Georgia Power will foot the bill, so it’s no cost to the city.

Why do this?  Mr. Junger cites Georgia Power literature that states…

Georgia Power indicates that LED lights offer more safety because they produce a broader spectrum of light, which provides better illumination of street signs, bicyclists and pedestrians. LED light spreads more evenly, reducing fixtures are also more efficient, not only producing more light for less money, but also lasting much longer than traditional HPS fixtures.