close

Bethel Park looking to save money with new streetlights

By Cara Host For The Almanac Writer@thealmanac.Net 3 min read

The streetlights in Bethel Park may soon be replaced with more energy efficient LEDs, through a proposal from West Penn Power.

The company, which provides power to about 80 percent of the municipality’s streetlights, could upgrade about 1,900 lights for little upfront cost to the municipality. However, Bethel Park could save 40-50 percent on its electricity bills.

“We can do a one-to-one change out for most of the lights,” Diane Holder, manager of external communications for West Penn Power, said at the borough council committee meeting March 28.

The municipality may have to pay to swap out some of the newer lights, estimated to be about 20 lights, because the 10-year contract with West Penn has not expired yet. The cost to install the new lights will be folded into a new 10-year agreement with the power company, but Bethel Park still stands to save money.

If council grants its approval, West Penn Power and borough officials will look at the municipality’s streetlights in greater detail to determine how much wattage is needed on each pole. West Penn Power offers LED bulbs from 50 to 260 watts. From there, officials will be able to calculate an exact cost as well as the expected monthly savings.

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, use only about a quarter to a third of the power that an older streetlight may use and the bulbs also last longer. Most of Bethel Park’s streetlights are high pressure sodium and some use an even older technology, mercury vapor.

The LED lights will emit a whiter, brighter light that is more focused, Holder said.

West Penn recently replaced all the streetlights in bordering Peters Township and it will do the same in many municipalities in the South Hills in the coming months.

Council President Tim Moury suggested that council could take a field trip to see the different lights in either Peters or at West Penn Power’s offices in Washington.

Council could make a decision on whether to move forward with the streetlight swap as early as the April 11 regular meeting.

In another matter, council may start a shade tree commission to study trees in the various parks and neighborhoods. That board would work with foresters from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to plant and restore trees. Council heard from Stephanie Miller of Economic Development South, who has worked with the Baldwin-Brentwood-Whitehall shade tree commission.

The group has planted more than 180 trees in the past few years in those communities and all of their efforts have been funded by grants and donations. The boroughs’ public works department may provide some help with digging tree pits.

“But other than that, it has no cost to the boroughs,” she said.

Bethel Park’s shade tree commission will be comprised of five to seven volunteers. The municipality will ask Bethel Park School District to partner with the commission and perhaps incorporate some of their work into the school curriculum.

DCNR as well as the Penn State Extension Office can offer expertise on how to care for the trees the municipality already has and which trees grow best in different soil types.

“It seems like we will tap into a whole body of knowledge that we don’t have now,” said councilman Jim McLean.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $/week.

Subscribe Today