Weymouth awarded $249K grant to convert streetlights to LEDs

Weymouth, MA – Mayor Robert Hedlund announced today that the Town of Weymouth has received a $249,382 grant through the Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) Rapid LED Streetlight Conversion Program to convert its traditional streetlights to LED technology. The Town’s Energy Coordinator Robert O’Connor represented Mayor Hedlund at an event in Lowell on September 25th, where DOER Commissioner Judith Judson and Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton announced more than $4.3 million in grants to 40 cities and towns.

“Transitioning to LED streetlights offers enormous benefits in energy conservation, public safety, and long-term cost reduction, not just for communities like Weymouth but all regional electric ratepayers. It’s a win-win strategy, and I thank the Baker-Polito Administration for investing in this program,” said Mayor Robert Hedlund. “LED streetlights are a big step forward in achieving Weymouth’s energy conservation goals as a designated Green Community.”

The Rapid LED Streetlight Conversion Program provides financial and technical assistance to help cities and towns expedite the conversion of their traditional streetlights to LED technology through partnerships between the municipalities, the DOER, and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). Under this program, the Town will purchase 3,819 streetlights from National Grid at a cost of one dollar, assuming ownership and maintenance of the fixtures, which the Town currently pays approximately $250,000 a year to power and maintain. The MAPC will conduct an audit of these streetlights and make recommendations for their conversion. The MAPC, with guidance from the DOER, will then procure streetlights in bulk on behalf of Weymouth and other participating cities and towns. This regionalized approach has led to an overall installation cost reduction of up to 35 percent in communities where streetlight conversions are already underway. Grant funding from the DOER will help the Town offset the cost of design and installation of the new streetlights.

LED streetlights are more energy efficient and longer-lasting than other common street lighting technologies. Converting to LED models saves cities and towns money both on their electric bills and in operations and maintenance. LEDs offer a number of other advantages, including improved visibility, reduced light pollution, and the ability to install advanced controls such as dimming, remote control, and Wi-Fi capability.

In addition, Massachusetts ratepayers are expected to see benefits from municipalities converting their streetlights to LEDs. Streetlights are operational during early morning and late afternoon during the winter months. These are hours of peak electric demand, and high demand for natural gas for both electric generation and home heating during these hours leads to higher energy prices for everyone. Transitioning to LED modes, which use up to 60 percent less energy than standard streetlights, can decrease demand and lead to lower prices.

The Town anticipates that annual savings from the new LED streetlights will completely offset the cost of the conversion project in three to four fiscal years. All LED models must be installed by June 30th, 2018, under the terms of the grant.

Weymouth is a designated Green Community under the Green Communities Act of 2008, and has committed to reducing municipal energy consumption by 20 percent over five years from its fiscal year 2015 level. The Town’s Energy Reduction Plan, prepared by Energy Conservation Inc. of Hanson, estimates that converting its traditional streetlights to LED technology will help the Town achieve 21 percent of this total goal.    

“The Green Communities grant program has allowed the Town of Weymouth to modernize its infrastructure while becoming more eco-friendly,” said Representative James Murphy in a statement. “Retrofitting our streetlights with LED lighting will yield both cost and environmental benefits for future generations to come. I would like to thank the Baker-Polito administration, Commissioner Judson, and Secretary Beaton for their concentrated efforts toward green initiatives in Massachusetts.”

“I want to thank Secretary Beaton, Commissioner Judson, and the Baker-Polito Administration for their commitment to modernizing and reinvesting in the Commonwealth’s infrastructure,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor in a statement. “These streetlights will be more environmentally friendly and energy efficient, which will lower our municipal energy costs.”

Last year, Governor Baker signed Executive Order No. 569, which lays out a comprehensive approach to further reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, safeguard residents, municipalities, and businesses from the impacts of climate change, and build a more resilient state. The DOER’s Rapid LED Streetlight Conversion Program is part of this comprehensive strategy, which aims to reduce to the state’s GHG emissions to 25 percent below their 1990 level by 2020.