According to a press release from Dave Porter, a Cazenovia village trustee, the Village of Cazenovia is in the process of finalizing steps to convert the village street lighting to LED (light emitting diode) type light fixtures.

Currently the village has 279 street lighting fixtures that are owned and maintained by National Grid.

Most of these street light fixtures are “cobra-head” fixtures that are mounted on utility poles but there are also some decorative fixtures such as the street lights on Albany Street in the downtown area.

Under the proposed LED street light conversion project the village will purchase the light fixtures from National Grid.

“We are working with an energy services contractor, SmartWatt, who will make the conversion to LED lamps through a retrofit of the existing street light fixtures,” Porter wrote.

The electrical energy savings associated with the LED conversion is substantial, according to Porter.

“The electric energy cost savings that we will realize will go toward paying for the purchase of the street lights from National Grid and the LED conversion that SmartWatt will perform,” he wrote. “Continued savings after the fixtures are paid for will lead to a net savings in the village budget. Under our proposed agreement with SmartWatt, they will maintain the street lights for a period of 10 years at which point the village will be responsible for maintaining the light fixtures.”

The electrical usage for street lighting is currently about 143,000 kWh/yr and the village expects that with the new LED lamps there will be savings of approximately 110,000 kWH/yr.

Over 20 years the village expects to realize approximately $1.25 million in savings.

In 2015 the village adopted a Climate Action Plan (CAP) that included goals for electrical energy savings.

The LED street lighting conversion is in line with the village’s CAP goals and also enhances our ability to compete for state grants and funding.

LED lamps are available in a variety of color tones.

SmartWatt has installed two different LED lamps at the front of the Cazenovia Municipal Building on Albany Street so that a lamp color can be selected.

“Whereas we are not undertaking a formal vote on the selected color, please feel free to contact a member of the board of trustees to indicate your preference,” Porter wrote. “We are hoping that this project will be implemented within the next year but there are still some administrative and financial steps that need to be completed.”

Porter’s press release goes on to encourage people to consider LED lighting at their homes or businesses. The release says this is an easy way to reduce electrical consumption.