BURLINGTON, Mass., June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The evenings are brighter along the streets and sidewalks of Weston, Florida, as the city has selected Philips Lighting – the global leader in the development of LED lighting technology – to provide 1,200 environmentally–sustainable, energy-efficient and aesthetically-pleasing Roadstar luminaires from Philips Roadway throughout the city.
The retrofit solution, which uses the South Florida city’s existing lighting poles along city-owned public thoroughfares, is expected to save Weston up to $160,000 in energy costs and approximately $100,000 in maintenance expenses annually when compared with its previous metal-halide systems.
The new Roadstar luminaires from Philips Roadway come with a 10-year limited warranty and were funded, in part, by federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), which are awarded to local communities making strategic investments to meet the nation’s long-term goals for energy independence and climate change leadership. Designed to address a fundamental need in the lighting industry for affordable, high-performance, energy-efficient, and long lasting large-area LED lighting, the Roadstar luminaire can reduce energy consumption by as much as 60 percent over conventional lighting solutions, making it as beneficial to the environment, as it is for a project’s bottom line.
“The city of Weston, FL has always prided itself on being a very progressive community that looks for ways to protect the environment and be fiscally responsible, while improving the quality of life for our residents,” saidJeffrey Skidmore, Assistant City Manager and Chief Operating Officer, City of Weston. “Street lighting accounts for a large part of our energy consumption and the solution from Philips Roadway provided us with energy savings, improved light levels and reduced maintenance, making it the right choice for our city. Feedback from our residents is that they appreciate the uniform, white light that virtually eliminates the dark spots between poles, as well as spill and glare. It also provides a clean look that fits the overall aesthetic of our community.”
According to Zia Eftekhar, CEO of Philips Lighting North America, “Weston and forward-thinking cities like it are embracing LED lighting because they have taken the time to evaluate the long-term benefits of these solutions, both from a cost saving and light quality perspective. Weston wanted to ensure that their new LED street lighting solution was comparable if not better than their existing metal halide system and were able to use their existing poles for minimum disruption to their residents. What they have found with our Roadstar solution is a very viable, energy-efficient solution that will also help the city to meet its environmental goals.”
Municipal Lighting Systems worked closely with Philips and the city on the lighting solution that has been installed on major public roadways in Weston such as Royal Palm Blvd. and Glades Pkwy. The engineering firm of Calvin Giordano & Associates helped the city evaluate LED lighting solutions, including light levels, while the installation is being handled by Horsepower Electric.
Visit www.philips.com/roadwaylighting for more information on Roadstar and other Philips Roadway outdoor lighting solutions.