THE CHALLENGE

With a vision to be the most livable town in Canada, the Town of Oakville is continuously improving programs and services that are both accessible and environmentally and fiscally sustainable. With that, it’s only suitable that the Town of Oakville wanted to improve their aging High Pressure Sodium (HPS) street lights to light-emitted diode (LED) luminaires to provide their residents with increased lighting performance, improved illumination and uniformity, while significantly reducing energy and maintenance costs. The LED Conversion program also included the implementation of an adaptive control system to allow for remote monitoring of all street lighting fixtures for improved asset management and further energy saving opportunities.

THE SOLUTION

The town’s LED conversion project encompassed 15,851 street lights that illuminate both road and sidewalk systems. The town provided total funds of $12.6 million and qualified for LED retrofit rebates offered under the Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) Save-On- Energy program. A two-phase LED street light conversion program was developed and approved as part of the Town of Oakville Capital Budget process. Phase two of the program was awarded to King Luminaire Co. Inc., in partnership with Tymat Solutions, to convert approximately 5,700 decorative luminaires to LED.

THE RESULTS

The project’s actual costs were in-line with the total budget estimate. Using the Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) Save-On-Energy incentive program, total estimated rebates of approximately $865,000 will be provided which off-set conversion expenses and improves the payback time period.

High efficiency LED luminaires typically utilize 50%-70% less energy than HPS fixtures, while maintaining the same lighting levels. Year over year comparisons of energy costs for street lighting both before and after the LED conversion project have indicated a decrease of approximately $740,000 with further opportunities to decrease energy consumption with practices such as dimming fixtures during select time periods.
With LED luminaires typically lasting 15-20 years in comparison to HPS fixtures which require maintenance approximately once every five years, the Town of Oakville has estimated their maintenance savings at $231,000 since the system-wide introduction of LED fixtures.

The post Town of Oakville – LED Conversion: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.

THE CHALLENGE

The City of Gresham was using revenue from their utility license fees on electricity and natural gas to power their streetlights. With power costs rising faster than the revenue generated, the Gresham streetlight fund was in danger of reaching zero by end of 2018. To address this issue, the City of Gresham needed to balance the revenue with the total costs of operating their streetlights.

THE SOLUTION

Gresham replaced 8,000 conventional high-pressure sodium (HPS) streetlights with new, state-of-the-art light-emitting diode (LED) lights. The City of Gresham’s new street lighting system also incorporated a field-switchable wattage selector (with a range of 31-75W) to further increase energy efficiency.

• The City of Gresham partnered with King Luminaire to supply over 500 decorative LED fixtures
• The LED luminaires only need replacement after approximately 15-20 years, versus re-lamping the old HPS lights every 4-5 years and King Luminaire backs the LED lights with a 7-year warranty
• The new LED lights are twice as bright as the HPS lights while also increasing energy efficiency
• The total conversion of 8,000 HPS lights to LED produced a significant reduction in environmental emissions

With the LED conversion, the imbalance between revenue and expenses is going to turn around. So not only are we saving money and helping the environment, the streetlight fund will be financially sustainable. This is a great thing for Gresham.

John Dorst, Deputy Director, Department of Environmental Services (Retired), Gresham, OR

THE RESULTS

Electricity, Maintenance and Cost Savings:

• The City saves about $500,000 a year in electricity costs by switching to LED because the new lights last much longer and use less energy
• Energy cost savings is equivalent to $10 million over a 20-year lifetime
• The cost savings allow Gresham to finance the cost of the LED conversion and return the streetlight fund back to financial sustainability

Emission Reductions:

• The conversion to LED lights results in significant annual CO2 emission reductions

Overall:

• LED luminaires increase light uniformity, visibility, colour rendition, and reduce glare, thereby increasing safety on roadways and sidewalks
• Gresham is one of the first cities in Oregon to completely switch over to LED and was recognized with the 2015 Sustainability Practices Award from the Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association

The post City of Gresham – LED Conversion: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.

THE CHALLENGE

With Cambridge being home to two of the most prestigious and technologically advanced universities in America: Harvard and MIT, the City felt as though it too must welcome change and forward thinking. The City of Cambridge committed to reducing their energy consumption by 20% over the course of five years as part of their 2010 sustainability initiative. In addition, the City also sought to improve the management and maintenance of their existing streetlight system.

THE SOLUTION

To reduce energy consumption, the City of Cambridge made a decisive move towards more energy-efficient luminaires by replacing 7,000 high-pressure sodium (HPS) streetlights with new, state-of-the-art light-emitting diode (LED) lights. The City also incorporated wireless adaptive controls into the design of their new LED system.

• Replacement of 4,900 cobra-type fixtures over 9 months, followed by the installation of over 1,000 retrofitted decorative fixtures supplied by King Luminaire Co. Inc.
• The decorative LED fixtures were custom designed to be compatible with their adaptive control system
• Wireless adaptive controls allow for real-time adjustability of light levels, enhanced energy conservation, and energy usage monitoring capabilities
• The LED luminaires only need replacement after approximately 15-20 years, versus re-lamping the old HPS lights every 4-5 years and King Luminaire backs the LED lights with a 7-year warranty

As far as we know, we are the first major city to deploy an adaptive LED lighting system city-wide. This has been an extremely successful process that has far exceeded our expectations and we’ve seen a savings of 80 percent (energy use) so far.

Stephen Lenkauskas, City Electrician, Cambridge, MA

THE RESULTS

Electricity and Maintenance Savings:

• The new LED system saves Cambridge over 75% in electricity every year and reduce bulb replacement frequency by 80%
• The conversion brings significant maintenance savings (estimated lifetime of LED is roughly 4-5 times longer than the old HPS lights)

Energy Cost Savings:

• The use of LED lights delivers energy cost savings of $500,000 each year for a 20-year lifetime, or an equivalent of $10 million
• Eversource, the utility company, contributed over $820,000 in energy rebates toward the cost of LED conversion; the payback period for the first phase of the conversion is 4.36 years
• The LED conversion contributed significantly to Cambridge’s ability to reduce its energy consumption by 20% in 2014, as part of the City’s sustainable initiative goals

Emission Reductions:

• CO2 emissions were reduced by 77%
• After dimming, the LED system emits 40% less light pollution than the old HPS system

Overall:

• The City of Cambridge became the first U.S. city to complete a city-wide LED streetlight retrofit, using adaptive controls that complies with Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) RP- 8-14 standards for roadway illumination

The post City of Cambridge – LED Conversion: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.

THE CHALLENGE

By mid-2013, the City of Detroit estimated that over 50% of their 88,000 streetlights were no longer functioning. A lack of funds for the upkeep of the City’s infrastructure meant that many streetlights burned out without hope of replacement. Many other concerns faced Detroit’s aging streetlight system including an increasing number of copper theft incidents, maintenance staff shortages, pole and substation deterioration, and an existing series-wired circuit setup, which caused all the streetlights in a circuit to go dark if one was inoperable. As a result, many residents began to avoid going out at night for fear of their personal safety; and local businesses were affected due to the decrease of foot traffic.

THE SOLUTION

After Detroit declared bankruptcy in 2013, Michigan’s governor appointed an Emergency Manager tasked with establishing and overseeing the Public Lighting Authority (PLA), which aimed to restore Detroit’s streetlight system.

• • The conversion of an original system of 88,000 operating HPS lights to 65,000 LED lights improves illumination, maximizes energy and cost savings, lowers maintenance costs, and produces a significant reduction of environmental emissions
• The new LED lights are twice as bright as the old lights and deliver the illuminance requirements of the Detroit specification with a reduced number of streetlights while increasing energy efficiency
• The PLA partnered with King Luminaire to provide 4,900 brighter, more reliable, and more energy-efficient decorative LED light fixtures. The LED luminaires only need replacement after approximately 15-20 years, versus re-lamping the old HPS lights every 4-5 years and King Luminaire backs the LED lights with a 7-year warranty
• To improve reliability, the PLA switched from the old copper wiring to LED compatible aluminum wiring – greatly reducing theft
• In addition, the new lighting system is a multiple series circuit system – if one light goes out, the others stay on

The net result is a system that is brighter, more efficient and more reliable than the old system that will assure state-of-the-art public lighting for Detroit far into the future.

Public Lighting Authority, Detroit, Michigan

THE RESULTS

Electricity and Maintenance Savings:

• The new LED system saves about 46 million kWh in electricity every year, while bulb replacement frequency has been reduced by 80%

Energy Cost Savings:

• The use of LED lights delivers energy cost savings of $2.9 million each year that results in a luminaire replacement payback period of just 2.3 years

Emission Reductions:

• The conversion to LED lights results in an annual emissions reduction of 134 tons SO2, 41 tons NOX, 40,418 tons CO2 and 1.48 lb Hg

Increased Safety:

• LEDs produce bright white light — not the orange glow of sodium lights — so objects such as people and bicycles are seen more clearly
• 5,400 brighter lights along school safe routes help keep children safe on their way to and from school

Higher Foot Traffic:

• Neighborhoods have experienced an increase in foot traffic after dark – a benefit for retail businesses and restaurants

Overall:

• The entire LED conversion came in under budget and on time
• Detroit’s delivery on its promise to turn the lights back on restored the trust in city government among residents

The post City of Detroit – LED Conversion: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.

THE CHALLENGE

Hollywood Blvd. was getting a face lift when the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Street Lighting (BSL) chose to upgrade from HID. Beginning in 2008, the BSL was one of the first organizations to consider LED technology and set conversion initiatives2, primarily focusing on locating manufacturers who could meet the high quality that would be expected of such an acclaimed area. In addition to high quality, BSL also valued photometrics, and a trusted service partner who would go above and beyond. BSL knew what they wanted, but they were challenged with finding the perfect fit.

THE SOLUTION

Los Angeles approached their conversion by setting extensive testing procedures in place to understand what the citizens preferred, from the appearance of the luminaires, to color temperatures2. From there, the city worked with manufacturers and those who listened to the city’s wants and needs were appreciated and selected, as they were able to find the right solutions together.

King Luminaire Co. Inc., a division of StressCrete Group, was a trusted supplier to the City of Los Angeles. The solution we offered was not only to meet, but also exceed expectations, by providing a full range of products including multiple decorative fixtures. A total of 316 decorative luminaires were provided within three months, including 236 K803 Solitaire Sr. roadway pendants and 80 K703 Solitaire Jr. pedestrian pendants, both of which improved Hollywood Blvd.’s appearance.

Los Angeles’s BSL was attracted to StressCrete’s product offering because of the products’ elegance, its extreme high-quality, and the importance and attention to detail that StressCrete stressed on photometrics. StressCrete Group proved themselves by going above and beyond, with not only providing fixtures, but by the service that was seamlessly provided throughout the entire process.

After the project was completed, lighting levels and uniformity were greatly improved. Also, the K703 and K803 provide a very pleasing visual aesthetic during the day.

James Quigley – Senior Engineering Manager, P.E. Bureau of Street Lighting

THE RESULTS

StressCrete Group again proved not only are they a trusted provider, but also a partner looking to build relationships through high quality products and on-demand customer service. The City of Los Angeles provided positive feedback, and are thrilled with the quality, photometrics, and service that they received over the conversion period and beyond. The city of Los Angeles has been a trailblazer with their LED initiatives by modernizing the city’s lighting. Over BSL’s conversion initiative, they have been able to see cost savings of over 70%2. Plus, reduced carbon emissions, with longer maintenance cycles and increased electrical capacity on the street lighting system2. The color of the city’s landscape has changed with the use of LED lighting from an orange hue to a warm white color2. Plus, Los Angeles’ citizens, the Police Department, business owners and visitors are thrilled with the improvements that have been gained by the LED conversion initiative2. With the K803 Solitaire Sr. and the K703 Solitaire Jr. on Hollywood Blvd, the stars are shining brighter than ever!

The post Hollywood Boulevard – LED Conversion: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.

THE CHALLENGE

In 2017, the streetlights in the City of Chattanooga began to fail at a rapid rate as its control system and replacement drivers were unable to be imported, creating the risk that the city may go dark within two to three months. Simply put, too many of their streetlights did not work as promised1 and residents were becoming fearful of the dangers of darkness including not being able to see wildlife such as coyotes2. This was a scenario that was unacceptable for a city that is known as one of the most progressive and livable mid-size cities in the United States3. Working with the EPB, the City of Chattanooga had to find a reliable solution to their streetlight problem that maintained the city’s vision of being a progressive, 21st century city. To further add to this challenge, they needed to find and implement a solution in record time!

THE SOLUTION

With only three months to consult, engineer and manufacture, King Luminaire was able to provide the City of Chattanooga with over 1,500 decorative LED luminaires before the important ‘lights out’ deadline. The K124 Paragon and K118 Washington post top acorns were manufactured in custom colors as requested by the city to match the existing streetscape.

Specifications, features and benefits:

• Replacement and installation of approximately 1,800 fixtures over 6 months, with ongoing construction projects underway
• Made in America luminaires allowed for quick turnaround times offering exceptional light quality, long usable life, energy efficiency and durability; all of which help cut down energy consumption
• The decorative LED fixtures were designed to be compatible with the EPB’s fiber optic based smart meter network to further increase energy efficiencies
• Customization of product labels assisted with the city’s asset management practices
• The LED luminaires only need replacement after approximately 15-20 years and are backed with a 7-year warranty, greatly reducing future maintenance costs and eliminating potential replacement costs

THE RESULTS

King Luminaire with its manufacturing facility in Jefferson, Ohio, was able to provide all LED luminaires that the City of Chattanooga and the EPB required within the short time frame required. The installation of new luminaires helped Chattanooga eliminate the threat of streetscapes going dark and replaced their failing LED streetlights with reliable and aesthetically pleasing LED luminaires according to existing architectural standards. In addition, King Luminaire was able to reduce asset management risks and maintenance costs for the city and the EPB by backing their products with a 7-year warranty.

With their new Made in America LED streetlights, the City of Chattanooga maintains their position as one of the most progressive and livable mid-size cities in the United States and their citizens will no longer worry about failing lights that create potential safety hazards. Iconic landmarks such as the Tennessee Aquarium and AT&T Field are lit up with the new LED streetlights, keeping Chattanooga bright and beautiful!

The post City of Chattanooga – LED Advancements: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.

THE CHALLENGE

The City of Fredericksburg, located in the Texas Hill Country, was founded May 8, 1846. Over the course of its 175 years the City of Fredericksburg has kept up with infrastructure modernization, but always with a focus on maintaining its colonial aesthetics. Throughout their Main St. downtown area, they featured standard LED streetlights and poles, but sought a decorative lighting solution that would integrate well with their aesthetics while still maintaining their sustainability initiatives offered through LED technology.

THE SOLUTION

In order to limit the impact of this project on the City of Fredericksburg, they enlisted the services of the distributor, WESCO, to have a turn-key solution provided to them. WESCO, in turn, worked with FAPCo and StressCrete Group to develop a lighting solution. A lot of work was put into running photometric layouts to develop the warm, welcoming, and most importantly, safe light levels for main street. The goal was to identify the best LED luminaire for light quality, high-efficiency and reliability, low maintenance, future readiness, and dark-sky compliance. To achieve the desired aesthetic look, additional engineering work was required to ensure adequate strength in the poles to accommodate all of the additional loading.

I had an exceptional experience working with StressCrete Group, WESCO and FAPCo team. From initial design and throughout the construction implementation process, they placed special attention to every detail and ensured all our concerns and requests were addressed in a timely manner.

Lee Stubblefield, Superintendent Electric Dept., City of Fredericksburg

THE RESULTS

After overcoming some initial design challenges, WESCO, FAPCo, StressCrete Group, and the contractor provided a complete solution that provides adequate light levels, utilized existing pole locations, accommodated existing city infrastructure, provided all of the required banner, flag, and flower pot decoration mountings, and still achieved the desired improved aesthetic. The City of Fredericksburg now enjoys a renewed sense of pride in their Main Street and is already planning to extend the revitalization to other areas of the city.

Upgrading our downtown lighting along Main St. to the decorative poles and light fixtures by StressCrete Group has made a significant and noticeable difference to the overall aesthetics and ambiance experienced by locals and tourists. This upgrade has not only proven to maintain our energy efficiency and dark sky initiatives, but also our goal to continue preserving the colonial aesthetics of what makes the City of Fredericksburg unique.

Lee Stubblefield, Superintendent Electric Dept., City of Fredericksburg.

HIGHLIGHTS

Product Details:

• 30’ tall StressCrete Washington Spun Concrete Poles.
• King Luminaire K807 Doral Sr Pendants.
• King Luminaire K707 Doral Jr. Pendants.
• King Luminaire K118 Washington Acorn Post Tops.

Unique Features:

• Pole Adders for added decorative options:
  • Flag Holder.
  • Banner Arms.
  • Flower Pot Holder.
  • GFIs.
• Dark-sky Friendly – Zero Uplight
• 3000K to ensure visually comfort

Key Benefits:

• Turn-Key Solution provided along with Distributor, Rep, and Contractor.
• Efficient Photometrics utilizing existing pole locations.

The post City of Fredericksburg – Main Street Revitalization Announcement appeared first on StressCrete Group.

THE CHALLENGE

Atchison’s reputation as one of the most beautiful and quaint cities in Kansas was at stake because of their outdated streetlights. With the streetlights and poles deteriorating and rusting more and more each day (as shown in photo – left pole), the City decided to replace the old, rusted, steel poles with durable, prestressed spun concrete poles (refer to pole on right side of photo) from StressCrete Inc., a division of The StressCrete Group. In addition, they also replaced the high intensity discharge (HID) lights with modern LED fixtures.

THE SOLUTION

• The City of Atchison and Westar Energy partnered with StressCrete for their decor colored, prestressed spun concrete poles that require no maintenance and have the lowest lifetime costs of any similar product
• In addition to the 23 poles replaced in Atchison, 63 poles were replaced in Leavenworth, and 12 poles in Parsons

THE RESULTS

• The City of Atchison’s new streetlight poles are maintenance free and have a lifetime warranty, eliminating the need for maintenance or replacement
• The new spun concrete poles are environmentally friendly and safe for direct burial as they are produced with inert material that can be recycled after its long life
• The poles won’t rust or deteriorate from the elements, and are resistant to wood peckers, insects, fire, rot and corrosion
• Atchison’s new streetlights are aesthetically pleasing and align with the City’s downtown revitalization efforts

It’s great to partner with local communities to install more modern equipment that improve the aesthetics and quality of life for its residents.

Ed Broxterman, Customer and Community Relations Business Manager, Westar Energy

The post City of Atchison – Streetlight Pole Upgrade: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.

RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENTS TO WITHSTAND FUTURE GROWTH REQUIREMENTS

With reliability as one of BPU’s main priorities, the Board of Directors continually seeks to improve its electrical system. One of BPU’s challenges over recent years has been to improve service, longevity and overall system hardening of electrical service from the Fairfax industrial area to downtown Kansas City with the existing infrastructure. Another challenge has been the development of a new Amazon warehouse and distribution center in Kansas City, where much thought was put into ensuring reliability for this new industrial customer with respect to power and back-up systems.

To address these challenges, plus with the construction of the new Fiberglass substation in the Fairfax industrial area and the expansion of services to new industrial customers, BPU methodically evaluated the best, longest lasting method of distributing power throughout the industrial areas and to the downtown area. Throughout this process, BPU determined the existing wood poles needed replacement as they simply did not offer the strength capacity for future circuits including communication and street lights. Thus, an engineered long-lasting distribution pole was needed.

INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADED TO SPUN CONCRETE POLES

After careful cost evaluation, BPU decided to upgrade their infrastructure with StressCrete prestressed spun concrete poles due to their very long service life, no maintenance needs and lifetime warranty. The system hardening upgrade which provided higher pole heights, greater strength and increased load capacity proceeded in five phases totaling 285 spun concrete poles ranging in lengths from 35’ to 85’ and are of classes 1 through H8 wood pole equivalents.

BPU is very pleased with the infrastructure upgrade using StressCrete poles. It has allowed us to improve reliability to our existing customers and provide capacity for future growth.

Jeremy Ash, Director of Electric Distribution and Services

The post Kansas City Board of Public Utilities – Reliability Initiatives: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.

SYSTEM HARDENING WITH FIRE PROTECTION

Decreasing the number of outages, decreasing restoration time, limiting the amount of damage to the system, protecting the most valuable and hard-to-replace assets, and keeping service on for critical infrastructure are common objectives of system hardening initiatives.5 The most common hardening practice for electric transmission and distribution systems is upgrading poles and structures with stronger materials.6 With VAFB’s system hardening initiatives, one practice they implemented was to upgrade some of their power poles from wood to spun concrete. Over the course of two years, they installed 181 StressCrete spun concrete poles to improve their system, having a number of hardening benefits, including fire protection, should a natural disaster such as a wildfire occur on the base.

THE CANYON FIRE 

The Canyon Fire was a devastatingly aggressive fire that spread very quickly, damaging over 12,500 acres. “Wooden power poles were burned by the blaze, with electrical and communication hanging down. Collapsed guardrails rest along the sides of Arguello Road, victim to the fast-moving flames. Nearby, newly installed concrete power poles, added in the spring, survived the onslaught of flames.” indicated Lt. Col. Alex Mignery from the 30th Civil Engineer Squadron who is the designated Recovery Operations Chief.7 A nine-phase recovery plan was implemented with full recovery from the damage taking up to two years.

Nearby, newly installed concrete power poles, added in the spring, survived the onslaught of flames.

Lt. Col. Alex Mignery, 30th Civil Engineer Squadron

The post Vandenberg Space Force Base – Fire Protection: Case Study appeared first on StressCrete Group.