Township Installs Hundredth LED Streetlight

Warminster's environmental future became a little brighter recently.

The Board of Supervisors highlighted the installation of the township's 100th LED streetlight during Thursday night's meeting. This marks a milestone for a project that began in 2009 and continues to reduce energy and maintenance costs.

"There's actually 102 LED lights in Warminster right now," said Walt Bloom, director of sales for JKB Services, which performed the installations. "That gives the township the most LED streetlights in Bucks County."

With the help of Pete Carter and his team at the Warminster Public Works department, all of the streetlights on York Road, between Street and County Line Roads, have been transferred to LED. Bloom also said many of the lights on Street Road are now LED, and there are about 100 left in the township that still need to be switched.

According to numbers given to Bloom by PECO, the installed LED lights has saved the township approximately $730 per month. The new lights use about 15 percent of the energy traditional bulbs use, Bloom said.

The public works department also estimates savings of just under $12,000 on maintenance costs. Not only do the bulbs last longer than the older models, but they are also more resistant to vandalism.

"They are protected by a hard plastic shell, not glass," said Bloom. "A rock or even a BB gun wouldn't be able to damage it."

Unlike the traditional models that have one single source of light, the cobra design of the LEDs has multiple chips giving off illumination. Even if a vandal managed to pierce the shell and break one of the bulbs, the streetlight would still be operational.

The push for more efficient streetlights began about seven years ago, according to Board of Supervisors Chairperson Leo Quinn. The township had switched over to LED traffic lights, and Warminster administrators were told by PennDOT representatives that the savings from the new lights would be enought to pay the salaries of the supervisors in perpetuity.

Making the switch was not as simple as changing a light bulb, however. The housing fixtures atop the poles also had to be replaced with the proper hardwware to accommodate the LEDs.

"Warminster was the first one in the county to really take a look at this technology," said Bloom. "Warwick has a lot and Lower Southampton just started accepting bids for a complete, township-wide transition. But Warminster has really taken the lead."