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LED Lighting

Keene, NH

Community Profile: Keene is a medium sized town of about 22,500 residents located in the southwestern corner of New Hampshire, equidistant by 15 miles from both Vermont and Massachusetts. Serving as the County Seat for Cheshire County, Keene has been a leader not only politically, but also environmentally, joining the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign (CCP) in April 2000 in an effort to lower energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions.

Project Outline:Keene has switched its traffic lights to LED (light-emitting diode) technology. The LED project was initiated in 2000 by Officer Barry Hilton of the Keene Police Department.  Hilton was inspired by a previous LED project implemented in Manchester, NH.

Cost & Savings

• The complete cost of the project in 2000 was $29,000 which was reduced to $19,000 with the assistance of the PSNH rebate. After a 5 year payback period, the Police Department officially declares annual savings of $3,854, while Hilton says the savings are as much as $10,000 per year. Keene also estimates annual CO2 savings of 15 tons.
• Hilton applied for a Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) program which offered rebates of $10,000 for energy efficiency initiatives.  Currently PSNH is offering a Municipal Smart Start Program which covers all up-front costs of the purchase and installation of LED lighting.
  

New Hampshire:

• More information can be found at the PSNH Smart Start Program Website.

Maine:

• For communities in Maine, contact Efficiency Maine or visit their website here.

Vermont:

• In Vermont, contact Efficiency Vermont Municipal Energy Specialist Alison Donovan Hollingsworth or visit the Efficiency Vermont Website.

Process: The Keene Local Action Plan for Climate Protection can be visited on their Planning Website.

Benefits:

• Reduced preventative maintenance costs
• Reduced costs of emergency relamping
• A reduction in emissions that degrade air quality and visibility in Keene.
• Also, it was shown that even though there was an official projected five-year payback period, growth seen in the traffic light area reduced that to a projected 1-2 year payback period. It was also an excellent opportunity for Keene to lead by example, investing in a cost-effective energy savings measure.

For more information on the Keene LED project as well as other energy saving initiatives taken by Keene, visit their Cities for Climate Protection Website.