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Politics & Government

A Bright (and Green) Future for Melrose Street Lights

The city is testing out six new LED streetlights in the downtown area that cost more up front, but use less energy and last longer.

Recently, Melrosians may have noticed some brilliant changes during their evening strolls through downtown Melrose.

At the behest of the Melrose Energy Commission, the city is experimenting with some cutting edge technology inside of those Victorian-style streetlamps Melrose residents are all familiar with. Six LED lamps have been installed on three separate poles on Main Street outside of and .

The changing of the lamps ushers in the possibility of a new era of lighting in downtown Melrose, one that would gradually make the current metal halide bulbs obsolete.

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But is this upgrade worth it? According to Martha Grover, all signs point to yes.

Grover, the city’s , said that annual energy savings could potentially be up to $8,854, if the city does decide to install the new LED lamps on a full scale level. The lamps cost the city about $12,800 per year to operate.

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"The cost of the new kits is $550 (light source, ballast, and installation included in that price)," Grove said. "Metal halides, on the other hand, cost $246.75 new."

Despite the noticeable upfront cost difference between the LEDs and metal halides, the difference in terms of the bulbs lifespan is staggering.

The LEDs have undergone independent testing under the DesignLight Consortium, and last a whopping 50,000 hours, which comes to about 11.9 years. Meanwhile, metal halides only have a lamp life of 10,000 hours, or about 2.4 years.

That’s the LEDs coming in with five times the lamp life of the metal halides, heavily reducing costs of maintenance and replacement.

It’s also possible that the new technology would pay for itself in less than a year’s time with a rebate from National Grid, , and the resulting lower electricity bills.

According to Grover, National Grid has offered a 26 percent incentive, which would be about $143 per kit, while the state Green Community funds would reduce the per kit cost by another $250. The balance of the total cost to the city is about $157 dollars per light, coming in at roughly 68 percent savings compared to the old lights.

At that rate, the lights would be paid for in about nine months. Grover stated that the city was currently looking into several options for funding.

On another pragmatic note, LED streetlights are designed to direct light downwards onto the bustling sidewalks of downtown Melrose, rather than up into the sky. Not only is this practical, but it works to eliminate light pollution in night skies.

Several other towns and cities across Massachusetts have also began installing their own LED streetlights, including Salem, Newburyport, Arlington, Watertown, and Wellesley. Molly Fairchild, Wellesley's sustainable energy coordinator, said that her town retrofitted 508 metal-halide ornamental streetlights with LEDs between May 2010 and May 2011.

The pilot LED lights will be up through the first week of August. Residents are encouraged to provide feedback on the test lights to Grover by e-mailing mgrover@cityofmelrose.org or calling
781-979-4195.

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