Baldwinsville’s Village Square has been chosen as a beta test site for a local company’s new, ‘green’ product – the B’ville Lite™.
Featuring LED technology, the B’ville Lite™ was developed by Ephesus Technologies, a Syracuse-based company whose president, Joe Casper, hails from Baldwinsville. According to Casper, Baldwinsville’s existing lights are hazardous to the environment, as they contain mercury, and are energy inefficient. There is also a light intensity degradation of 25 percent in the light’s first year, he said. The B’ville Lite™, however, contains no mercury and uses 65 percent less energy, thereby making it environmentally friendly. In addition, the lights have occupancy detectors so they won’t turn on when unneeded, unlike existing streetlights that remain on throughout the night.
Taking steps toward becoming a green technology leader in New York State, Ephesus Technologies wants to use Baldwinsville as a model for other towns and cities. Therefore, the company donated 15 modification kits featuring the LED technology to the village for use in posts purchased for Village Square, the area being developed at the western end of the Sergei Yevich Trail.
Offering both an acorn-shaped light for parking lots and carriage-shaped light for streets, the B’ville Lite™ has a 17-year life span, offers clean, white light with reduced glare, and requires no maintenance, which, according to Casper, could save the village approximately $23,000 per year if officials were to modify all existing village street and parking lot lights. Casper also said the village could save approximately $57,000 per year in lighting costs because of the efficiency of the product, not to mention NYSERDA offers up to $140,000 in rebates to municipalities that purchase LED lighting.
“You could be saving 65 percent on the energy bill within the next year,” Casper told the village board. “It’s a no-brainer.”
Mayor Joe Saraceni said he was excited by the potential savings.
“We would be on the forefront of green technology,” he said, adding he loved that Ephesus named the technology the B’ville Lite™.
Should the village purchase additional modification kits, which Village Engineer Tim Baker said takes a matter of minutes to install, the cost would be $363 per post. Ephesus also offers the entire poll and LED fixture for $1,025, which is $100 cheaper than the current replacement lights being offered.
“We look forward to having [the B’ville Lite™],” Baker said, adding it simplifies installation and lowers energy.
The donated lights should be up and running in Village Square as of Dec. 15. Officials have not made any decisions regarding the replacement of existing lights, but will certainly consider the B’ville Lite™ for future technology.
