Town of Smithfield, RI LED Street Lights – PILOT Project Beginning November, 2020, PRISM will begin installing LED (Light Emitting Diode) street lights in three neighborhoods across the Town of Smithfield as part of a PILOT project. PRISM is the Partnership for Rhode Island Streetlight Management, and they are the Contractor that has been hired by the Town of Smithfield to manage the streetlight assets for the community. The purpose of the project is to test the performance and reliability of LEDs being considered for use in Smithfield, and to solicit community feedback. Over the course of two weeks, traditional lighting sources in these three areas, such as high pressure sodium, will be converted to LEDs.
Studies show that LED technology offers greater levels of “color rendering” than the older technology. This allows motorists to identify pedestrians and other objects more clearly. Another benefit of LEDs is that they can more effectively be “aimed” to light the roadway, and provide a more consistent distribution of light resulting in fewer dark spaces between lights.
LED street lights will also enable the Town of Smithfield to achieve greater energy efficiency, and as a result, reduce costs. In addition to the long-term energy saving, LEDs last significantly longer (100,000 hours) than the older technology (20,000 hours). This also lowers costs, by reducing the need for ongoing maintenance over the life of the street light.
Tell us what you think of the new LED street lights! Send us an email, or call our hotline at 401-233-1041. Be sure to indicate the neighborhood or street and utility pole number you are commenting on, based on the PILOT mapping included in this document.
PILOT Project Installation Areas Nimitz Drive – located off Pleasant View Ave – typical overhead pole mounted lights Balsam Lane – located off Pleasant View Ave and located off Swan Road – lamp posts 215 Pleasant View Ave – located in front of the Police Dept – flood lights
Click here to see the maps of the LED street light installation areas.
FAQ’s
What are LED lights?
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. Traditional lighting sources produce light through a filament that eventually burns out. LEDs produce light when electrons move through a semi- conductor.
How is LED lighting different from the lighting we have now?
LED street lights are different from the current street lights in a number of ways:
• Lower energy consumption
• Lower environmental footprint
• Reduction in overall light pollution
• Significantly longer lifespan. On average, LEDs last three times as long as the current lights
• LEDs come in a variety of colors (bright white to yellow orange), known as temperature. Temperature is identified on the Kelvin scale where soft-white warm light is typically around 2700K-3000K and day-light bright light is typically around 5000K-5700K. Existing high-pressure sodium lamps emit light at 1800K-2200K temperature, for reference.
• No mercury, lead or other known disposable hazards
• Night visibility will be improved due to higher color rendering, higher color temperature, increased luminance uniformity and ability to distribute light evenly on the ground below.
Why are the current lights being changed? The Town of Smithfield has an overall plan to reduce energy usage, improve the overall quality of lighting and reduce light pollution within the Town. LED street lights will enable us to provide uniform levels of lighting, while at the same time purchase less power from our supplier. This means that future rate increases will be smaller or may not be required as quickly.
How is the Town of Smithfield paying for the project?
The Town of Smithfield has an existing operations budget allocated to cover some of the costs of both the conversion and existing fees while the conversion takes place. The balance of the project is being funded in one year through the municipal capital improvement program. Additionally there are National Grid and RI Office of Energy Resources rebate incentives being offered to the municipality for completing the conversion.
How will I know when the lights are being installed?
Customers who live in the designated pilot project areas will notice street light improvement occurring around their neighborhood with the presence of utility trucks that will be replacing light fixtures.
When will the new lights be installed?
The new LED street light PILOT installations will be installed in the designated areas, mapped above, in November, 2020 for roughly a two week period where comments will be accepted up until November 20, 2020.
Who is installing the lights?
The lights will be installed by PRISM’s contractors.
How long will it take PRISMC to install the new lights around Smithfield?
Installation during the pilot project will take approximately two weeks to solicit input. Town- wide installation will take approximately 6-12 months to substantially complete and is expected to be done in Spring, 2021.
Will the poles be replaced too?
No, the Town will not be responsible to replace any poles. If necessary, National Grid will be contacted where any utility poles are deemed in need of replacement prior to conversion of the streetlight. Will my street be dark at night during the installation?
No, PRISM will leave the existing lights in place until the LED lights are installed and operational. In some cases, a combination of the new LED street lights and the current street lights may be in place overnight until installation is complete.
Will the bright lights keep me awake at night?
Not likely. PRISM will be able to “aim”, or “distribute” the new LED fixtures towards the public streets, which will minimize light glare and trespass on homes and businesses. In the event there is unintended or undesirable light trespass, the Town and PRISM can consider modifications to the fixture to make adjustments to curb any problems that may arise.
Are the lights dimmable?
Not during the pilot project. PRISM will evaluate customer feedback and determine if we will provide a dimmable feature in the future once the conversion commences.
What is the difference between an area light and a street light?
Area lighting is used to light private areas such as backyards, playgrounds, storage yards and general customer areas, commonly referred to as Flood Lights. Street lighting is used primarily to illuminate the Town’s public thoroughfares and residential streets. However, street lighting is also available on some, limited private streets at an additional monthly cost to residents.
How can I give feedback?
Tell us what you think of the new LED street lights by sending us an email. You can also call our hotline at 401-233-1041.
LEDs will provide better, clearer, and more consistent light quality that will likely play a role in making Smithfield’s streets safer through: • Fewer streetlight outages as LEDs have a life expectancy of 15 years, compared to 5-6 years of high-pressure sodium streetlights. • A truer whiter light quality, which leads to better color rending, allowing colors to seem more natural. • More consistent distribution of light resulting in fewer dark spots. • Reduced glare, up-light, backlight and overall trespass. • Reduced light pollution.