October 28

Wallingford gets its new LED streetlights

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Updated October 30: Seattle City Light spokesperson Mike Eagan told us that by Nov. 7, all the streetlights in the city south of 65th will have been replaced with LEDs. “There are some exceptions where additional electrical work was needed, more than just replacing the fixtures,” he said. “The city north of 65th will be done next year.”

Original post:

We’re seeing the streets of Wallingford in a whole new light lately — literally. This week our block got a makeover when Seattle City Light installed new LED (light-emitting diode) streetlights that cast an immediately noticeable brighter, whiter glow in front of our house.

The Wallingford installations are part of a citywide upgrade to LEDs that began this summer. A July 2010 press release about the new streetlights explained their benefits:

“We are entering a new era in street lighting,” Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “LEDs use 40 percent less energy and last three times longer than the high-pressure sodium lights that have been the standard for the past 30 years. That means better reliability, less maintenance, a longer life cycle, and lower operating costs for our customers.”

City Light will install 5,000 LED streetlights in residential neighborhoods this year and a total of 40,000 during the next five years. The 2010 installations will take place from the Ship Canal to 65th Street. The utility also started pilot projects to test LED streetlights on arterial roads.

The LEDs being installed generate a white light that is comparable to moonlight. This enhances peripheral vision and depth of field, making it easier to see small objects in the road and reducing the color distortion caused by the amber glow of existing high-pressure sodium lights. Finally, the LEDs provide better control over where the light is directed, reducing spillover into home windows and the night sky.

Here’s a demonstration of the difference between the old high-pressure sodium lights and LED ones:

If your street has gotten its new LED lights, what do you think of them?

(Photo courtesy Seattle City Light)

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  1. As I said on my FB status last night, it was so nice to go for a night run without worrying about a face-planting the whole time…love the new lights, and even better that they're environmentally friendly. The lights are especially welcome on our block, where our old streetlights had been burned out for several months.

  2. We got them last week and I do like them better. Most people consider the light to be harsh; I agree a little but I prefer the added visibility. The city does definitely need to address lateral spillover of the lighting though – the light is too visible from a wide angle.

  3. Energy efficiency is great. But, I'm also seeing more spillover into my bedroom, which is annoying.

  4. stoked about the energy conservation aspect and the better visibility, but the light does seem harsher, brighter, and more spillover definitely… i miss being able to sometimes see the night sky from my porch.

  5. Light is nice and sharp, but I sure am glad that my bedroom doesn't face the street. They light up my livingroom.

  6. If you enjoy the look of an overly bright prison yard, then they are an improvement. As to the control where the light is directed, it is now the equivalent of having industrial task lights shining into our home. Being on the corner, we have 2 lights to deal with – they shine into both bedrooms, living room & dining room. I'm all for saving energy, but it goes too far when I have to tape up black out paper to keep from being blinded by lights outside of my home. Seattle will now be known as The Prison Camp. We've owned our house for 20 years, and in one quick moment, it has gone from charming to garish. For those of you that don't have the lights directly shining in your windows, consider yourselves lucky, because it is not pleasant!

  7. Each light saves about $0.015 cents of electricity per (12 hour) night over a typical HID light that it replaced.

    WOW! My neighborhood went from a pleasant locale to a used car lot to save $5 per year per light?

    Here's my $5, city light? Can I have my environment back?

  8. They are Terrible!

    The white glare hurts eyes…well, mine, anyway. ( and a large percentage of others, I am finding out) They are too bright, just like those horrific white-blue headlights on newer cars.
    The white/blue light they emit also makes it more difficult to see into the darkness after being under them.
    Who did NOT do the research?
    Our eyes at night do not readily go from 'daylight' to dark easily. Every enter a tunnel on a sunny day?
    The better choice for night lighting is something from the red spectrum. The 'Blue' side of the spectrum is the worst for our eyes in adjusting from them into the dark… as in driving ahead of our headlights in the newer cars. Have you noticed how much more drivers are using their brights? That is because that blue/white light closes the eye and cannot see into the darkness in front of the beams coverage as we were able to do with the older style lights.
    Just as with these annoying street lights….
    Also, there is much more 'Light Pollution' with these. Unless you can come up with a way to direct the light so it does not erase the stars.
    That white light hurts your eyes and is very uncomfortable.

    But, on yes… It's all about the money.
    These type of lights are not the best way for our eyes to see at night…..

    So, who did not do the research and who got sold a bill of Goods.

    Our eyes just don't like that white light….
    So, when coming across on the ferry in the evening, the view of my favorite city will never be as pleasant as with the kinder glow of our previous lamps… In my opinion, you are ruining the the joy of seeing this magnificent city at night…. Boo!

    And they hurt our eyes!

    But, we are saving money…..!

  9. I hate the new lights that they installed in my street in n. ballard. I feel like I'm living in Yankee stadium now. No longer am I able to sit in front of my house at night and enjoy my front yard. The lights hurt my eyes. Also, when I drive down the street, I see tracers.  I wish seattle would take these down because they are super depressing to have to live with.

  10. Hate 'em! The LED lights to render an awful portion of the light specturm, and produce a very off-putting ratio of overly bright illumination and gastly dark patches, all made worse by the fact that the lamps are unshielded, and shine directly into your eyes.
    Color rendition is is horrible. Particuarly when the streets and sidewalks are wet, the overall impression is very disagreeable. Truly sorry for those who have one close by a bedroom, etc.

  11. Despite making the locations safer for pedestrians, there does not seem to have been any consideration given to the nearby residents who now have these lights pointed directly into our homes. Is there any appeal process for directional shielding so these flood lamps aren’t pointed into our bedrooms and living rooms? I would gladly pay out of pocket for a small metal skirt that kept the light on the streets, and not point blank into my window….

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