Online tool helps communities plan street light upgrades
A free online calculator, the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Street Lighting Evaluation Tool, supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy and the SEAD Initiative,helps local governments measure potential energy and cost savings from street lighting upgrades and retrofits.
The tool can help local government buyers, administrators and highway officials plan street lighting upgrades that often lead to savings in energy and maintenance costs. It simplifies evaluating light quality, energy use and costs for the most common road layouts. The tool’s step-by-step approach eases the evaluation process for first-time users. The calculator evaluates hundreds of fixtures at once and saves time compared to manual lifecycle cost evaluation methods.
The tool helps cities and towns identify the right fixtures for each location, as well as fixtures that save the most energy. While it is not intended to replace professional lighting design software, the tool facilitates simple analysis of design options by both novice and experienced users. It has been endorsed by several international organizations and government agencies
Communities that upgrade their street lights typically see energy savings of up to 50 percent, and often see enhanced light quality as well. The calculator aids the upgrade effort by helping with light quality analysis that complements professional lighting software and financial analysis tools. It gives decision-makers the budgetary information needed to justify the infrastructure cost, and analyze the potential savings and payback period that can help determine the feasibility of projects.
Two free instructional webinars will be held to explain tool use:
April 12, 2012 2:00 p.m. EDT Register for the first webinar
April 19, 2012 9:00 a.m. EDT Register for the second webinar
An instructional
white paper is available for those who would like to learn about the tool at their own pace.
