Wireless controls cost up to 40% more, extending the expected payback period, and are not yet eligible for a rebate from the State’s Energy Efficiency Fund. The Town expects to receive an approximate $50,000 rebate for the LEDs from this Fund, which receives revenues from the “Combined Public Benefit Charge” that every resident and business pays on their monthly electric and/or natural gas bills.
The Town is purchasing cobra-head fixtures that will be control-ready so we can take advantage of the technology when the cost comes down to add wireless controls or other options. Most LED fixtures the Town is purchasing will have a manual dimming control installed, which will allow raising the lumen output over time to offset natural declines in output as dirt accumulates and the fixtures age.
Solar-powered LED streetlights cost three to four times more than standard LED fixtures, which would not be economical, extending the payback period well into the expected 25-year life of the LED fixtures. Existing solar-powered fixtures also produce less available light than the Town plans for fixtures on its State routes and at intersections.