Date Announced: 29 Nov 2010Albany, NY -- The New York State Public Service Commission has approved a new pricing option for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation to enable municipalities to install energy efficient LED street-lighting. “A major operating cost municipalities face is the cost of operating and maintaining street lights,” said Commission Chairman Garry Brown. “The key advantages of state-of-the-art LED street lights over traditional street lights are lower energy costs, improved night visibility, significantly longer life spans, reduced maintenance costs, and a much lower environmental impact. Installing more energy efficiency lighting devices is clearly the wave of the future.” On August 26, 2010, Central Hudson filed tariff revisions to add a new LED pricing option to its service classifications. Central Hudson wanted to do this because several municipalities in its service territory indicated plans to install LED lights made possible by the American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) stimulus funding. The change approved by the Commission will enable the rates for new LED fixtures requested by municipalities in Central Hudson’s service territory.While some other utilities already have tariff rate designs that encourage the installation of LED street lighting in cities such as Rochester and New York City, this is a first for Central Hudson to directly offer tariffs to encourage municipalities to install LED street lighting. Similarly, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. proposed company-owned LED fixtures in its street lighting tariffs in its ongoing rate case.The annual kWh applicable to each new LED fixture will be calculated according to the company’s current tariff provisions. The annual charges for each fixture will be calculated according to the methodology currently used by the company to develop rates for existing street light fixtures. Installation and/or attachment considerations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. LED streetlights strike the best balance between brightness, affordability, and energy and environmental conservation when their life span is considered. LEDs consist of clusters of tiny, high-intensity bulbs and are extolled for their power efficiency and clear luminosity. The most common type of street light is the high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps found in most cities. While LEDs are more expensive than HPS lamps, they consume half the electricity, last up to five times longer, and produce more light.The Commission’s decision today, when issued, may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s Web site at www.dps.state.ny.us and entering Case Number 10-E-0420 in the input box labeled “Search for Case/Matter Number.” Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission orders may also be obtained from the Commission’s Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500).
Contact
Public Service Commission Garry A. Brown, Chairman Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 James Denn, Tel. +1 518.474.7080
E-mail:[email protected]
Web Site:www.dps.state.ny.us
