Conversion to LEDway luminaires from BetaLED helps Gillette, WY meet its sustainability goals

Date Announced: 13 Apr 2011 Located in Northeast Wyoming, the City of Gillette may be known for its beautiful countryside but it’s mainly recognized for producing one third of the coal shipped to power plants across the nation. The City’s electrical power plants, oil reserves, natural gas production, and soaring coal industry have given Gillette the nickname “Energy Capital of the Nation.”Revenues from natural resources provide significant funding for various citywide initiatives including pursuing and meeting sustainability goals. As part of the initiative, the City is currently working on a list of special projects aimed at creating a “Clean and Green” Gillette. In addition to recycling, water management, and waste reduction, converting traditional HPS streetlights to LED throughout the City provided a solution to meet energy-efficiency goals.“Energy savings and efficiency were motivators for our LED streetlight installation. Another motivator was to bring new ideas and innovation to the Cowboy State,” said Michael Foote, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Gillette.The idea to retrofit traditional streetlights to more energy-efficient technology came about when the City studied energy savings garnered from replacing conventional traffic signal lights to LED and found the savings to be significant.In the fall of 2009, with recommendations from other cities and using EECBG funds, the City implemented the first phase of the project by replacing 77 of their street lights surrounding city facilities and 20 wall packs at its utility building using BetaLED products.Phase two began spring of 2010 when 65 LEDway streetlights replaced 400-watt HPS systems along the main highway through the City. “We are showing that they work and that’s where the traction starts happening. We have a new highway going in and we’re putting LEDs in the budget,” added Foote.“After the installation, we received little to no feedback from residents about the change in lighting,” said Foote. “We are showing that a small community can successfully implement a street lighting program that works. It’s out goal to become a resource for surrounding communities who are looking to implement similar projects,” he concluded.Benefits:•Retrofitting to LEDway streetlights is a way for the City to promote energy-efficiency by being “Clean and Green.” •The seamless installation generated no negative feedback from residents regarding the change in lighting, which the City feels is a positive.•LEDway luminaires are Dark Sky approved helping to protect Wyoming’s beautiful night sky. Precisely designed NanoOptic® product technology directs the light from the luminaire into the designated target area while keeping light out of the night sky.•LEDway streetlights are designed, engineered and manufactured within the United States and meet Buy American requirements within the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.•The City of Gillette was awarded funds through the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG) to convert traditional streetlight systems to sustainable LED technology.For more information on the City of Gillette’s actions toward a sustainable city, visit www.ci.gillette.wy.us.

Contact
Gianna M.O’Keefe Marketing Manager BetaLED 800-236-6800

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Web Site:www.BetaLED.com