An old sodium vapor streetlight fixture on Beryl Road near the State Fairgrounds on Tuesday was replaced with a new LED, the first in an effort by Duke Energy Progress to overhaul the city’s streetlights in the next 15 months. Replacing each streetlight will cost about $400 on average for a total of $12 million for about 30,000 lights across the city, said Randy Turner, project manager for Duke Energy. LED fixtures last longer and use up to 85 percent less energy which will allow the city to come out ahead in the long run. Raleigh expects to save about $400,000 a year in lower lease payments, according to Dustin Brice, who oversees the streetlight program for the city Public Works Department. Duke benefits because the LED lights last 10 to 15 years, compared to about five for the old models, Turner said. Raleigh is one of many municipalities that have gone to LED streetlights, including Garner, Holly Springs and Cary and is in the midst of replacing 100,000 mercury vapor street and area lights with LEDs across the state. The LED fixtures produce a light that is clearer and more uniform than the orangish tint of sodium vapor lights, Brice said.

SOURCE: The News & Observer