There are articles all over the news of towns replacing old street lights with LED lighting. You’ve probably read the reports: LED lighting improves the brightness, visibility, and energy efficiency of street lights.
The DOE recently released a report basically confirming the superiority of LED lighting. They compared the performance of high-pressure sodium (HPS) streetlights, induction luminaires, and LED luminaires on a street in Palo Alto, California. Their findings:
- LED used the least energy of the three systems (a 44% reduction compared to HPS – which is the traditional streetlight for most towns).
- LED provided comparable average illumination on the street in comparison to the other two systems.
- LED provided more uniform light output than HPS or induction and had better cutoff – which means the light didn’t overflow onto residential properties as much.
For more information, see the complete report.