Nashville, Tenn., public power utility NES, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure recently celebrated the upgrading of more than 6,000 streetlights to new LED technology.
The strategic overhaul began in January with a goal of providing a more efficient and sustainable means of street lighting while improving safety and streetscape aesthetics for Nashville residents.
The new LED streetlights, which operate at a fraction of the energy costs required to power Nashville’s decades old high-pressure sodium streetlights, will have smart photocells that allow real-time identification of streetlight outages and greater control of lighting levels on public rights of way.
The new fixtures boast a lifespan exceeding 20 years -- a marked improvement over the 5-year lifespan of the old HPS fixtures.
“NES is always working to improve efficiency for our customers,” said Teresa Broyles-Aplin, President and CEO of NES. “These new lights operate more efficiently compared to legacy streetlights. The energy savings and operational benefits are a win for the city of Nashville and Nashville Electric Service.”
The upgrades will slash energy consumption by 60 percent, save the city $20 million in energy costs and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 36,000 metric tons over the next decade, NES said.
NES is replacing more than 55,000 streetlights throughout Nashville and Davidson County with LED fixtures.