State to Retrofit Traffic Signals

State to Retrofit Traffic Signals

By retrofitting traffic signals on all state-maintained roads, the Commonwealth of Kentucky will save a guaranteed $10.2 million over the life of the six-year energy savings performance contract with Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.

In addition, the performance contract will allow Kentucky to make the upgrades with no upfront capital expenditures, since the funding will come exclusively from the energy cost savings resulting from the upgrades.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) modules will be installed on every traffic signal, flashing beacon, and school flasher on state-maintained routes in Kentucky. The installation of the modules at some 3,000 intersections throughout the state is scheduled for completion by the end of June, 2005.

Under the terms of the contract, the company will manage the equipment purchase and turnkey installation of the LED modules at all signalized intersections and guarantee the state of Kentucky $1.7 million in annual energy cost savings over a six-year period.

A standard traffic signal bulb burns 168 watts of energy each time it is illuminated. In contrast, a LED module uses between six and 20 watts, representing a reduction in energy consumption of nearly 90 percent. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet estimates that a typical utility bill for a signalized traffic intersection currently is about $63.00 a month. After Siemens completes the installation, the cabinet estimates that the cost will drop to a little more than $12.50 per intersection.

In addition, the average useful life of an LED module is eight to 10 years, compared with 10 to11 months for an incandescent bulb. As a result, Kentucky will save more than $1.5 million a year in anticipated maintenance costs.

For more information on Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., visit: http://www.sbt.siemens.com