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Home My WebLink About1991-05-20-LLOC-rpt.pdf LIGHTING OPTIONS COMMITTEE UPDATE ON TOWNWIDE STREETLIGHTING. May 20,1991 The Town Manager continues to work on getting a "rate" from Boston Ed on the color- corrected Sodium Vapor light (the Iwasaki) which could be used for 80% (2,600) of Lexington's lights. This would replace all of our incandescents and some of our neighborhood mercury vapors. Boston Ed has also agreed to a testing of the 33 watt compact flourescent which might also be used to replace our incandescents. The remaining 460 higher wattage lights (Historic Districts excluded) would be converted to Standard Sodium Vapor The chart below deals only with the above 80% and summarizes some of the differences between Lexington's current street lights and the conversion proposals made by Boston Ed and the LLOC. For simplicity, the number of lights is rounded off and placed in just 3 categories. Currently installed. #Lights Type* CRIc Lumensx Bulb Life./ Watts 1,050 Incandescent 90+ 1,000 1 year+ 87 1,450 Mercury Vapor 45 3,500 5 years 131 100 Sodium Vapor 22 4,000 5 years 58 Boston Ed conversion proposal #Lights Type CRI Lumens Bulb Life Watts 2,600 Sodium Vapor 22 4,000 5 years 58 Lexington conversion proposal #Lights Type CRI Lumens Bulb Life Watts 2,600 ColorCorrected 82 2,500 2.5 years 58 Sodium Vapor GLOSSARY OF STREET LIGHTING TERMS There are a lot of different terms(lamp,light, luminaire, fixture,housing)used often for the same object. If you get confused just visualize your own porch or flood or track lights and ask: "Are we talking about the thing that makes light or the thing that holds the light bulb? Most of Lexington's street light bulbs are between 58 to 300 watts. When a light bulb goes out,instead of climbing a ladder to change a porch light, a "bucket truck" lifts you up to change a street light. Boston Ed currently supplies Lexington with 3 different lamp(bulb)types.• Incandescent (Inc)-yellow color, like the bulbs in our homes. Mercury Vapor(MV)- white,our most common light. High Pressure Sodium Vapor (HPS or HPSV)- orange color, few in town,calling it Sodium Vapor will do. These light bulbs have different. * CRI (Color Rendition Index)-A relative measure of how well light renders colors. 100 is best. # Watts- How much electricity(energy)is used to give out light or lumens. x Lumens- How much light does a light bulb put out. Efficacy(efficiency)- How many lumens per watt does a light put out. ✓Bulb Life-Varies depending on bulb&bulb type. Some Inc.s last 4 years. 4,200 hours equals 1 year of service in a street light. KWH (Kilowatt hours) Energy is charged on the basis of KWH's used. We currently pay Boston Ed a. BASIC MONTHLY CHARGE This rate includes a fixed energy charge,a maintenance and amortization charge and other charges that are not readily apparent. This rate can't be changed without MDPU(Mass.Department of Public Utilities)approval. FUEL CHARGE Among other factors,this charge fluctuates according to whether enegy is cheap or expensive for the utiltity that month. MAINTENANCE Screwing in light bulbs &/or pulling off an old fixture and putting on a new one. If Lexington bought out,this would not mean fixing the main utililty wires or wooden utility poles. It does mean maintaining concrete light poles attached to underground wires. AMORTIZATION Paying off the original cost of the light&/or pole over time. Or never paying it off,as is our case. N.B. These last two charges(M&A)are not actually separated in the bill we receive from Boston Ed. MYLA KABAT-ZINN Chair LLOC John Davies Peter Kovner Don Olson BACKGROUND & COST ANALYSIS OF STREET LIGHTING BUYOUT OPTIONS. May 20,1991 Under Article 39, Town Meeting resolved that "the Town will aggressively pursue multiyear energy and money saving alternatives with the best full spectrum street lighting for energy efficiency and preservation of Lexington's town character." Boston Edison (BEd) has proposed converting all our street lights (excluding the Historic Districts) to standard Sodium Vapor thus reducing Lexington's FY92 street lighting bill by roughly $60,000: from about $444,000 to $384,000. The Selectmen, Town Manager & Lighting Commitee are working with BEd to achieve these savings, but by using color-corrected, energy efficient lights in most of thes street lights rather than standard Sodium Vapor. The answer to whether this can be achieved may not come before Town Meeting ends. If it is not possible to achieve both the "best full spectrum lighting" and cost sav- ings with BEd owned & maintained street lights, can Lexington's owning & con- tracting maintenance of its street lights achieve this end? Also, are there savings in excess of the $60,000 to be had by owning our own street lights? And what are the financial risks and losses incurred during negotiations to "buyout" our street lights. Finally, is Buyout preferable BEFORE or AFTER BEd converts our street lights? Or not desireable under any conditions. Attached are cost estimates based on 2 different approaches to buying out street lights. BEFORE Boston Ed converts our old lights to the new ones and AFTER Bos- ton Ed conversion. Yearly savings or losses of each buyout approach is compared to the above benchmark cost of $384,000 in FY92 for a BEd owned system AFTER conversion. Hopefully, this $384,000 also represents the cost of the better color lights we are seeking, but as stated above, this is not certain. All costs are figured without infla- tion. In FY 93, the $384,000 benchmark may increase more than could be expected from inflation because BEd will file for its first rate hike in 6 years. The most significant variable in Buyout BEFORE conversion is NEGOTIATION TIME. How long would it take to negotiate a buyout agreement. Lexington's action would be without known precedent in the BEd service area. Estimates on negotia- tion time by street lighting buyout consultants in western Mass., Pennsylvania & California vary from 6 month to 1 1/2 years. Yarmouth's experience with a differ- ent utility than BEd was just under 4 years. Each year we negotiate adds $60,000 to our yearly streetlighting costs above the $384,000 benchmark figure. The most significant variables in Buyout AFTER conversion are INSTALLED LIGHTS & BUYOUT COSTS: will BEd install lights that we like enough to want to buy, or bad enough that we want to get rid of. And, even if Lexington "buys out" BEd lights, if we want them, do we get to keep them? Or will we have to pay BEd for their new system & then buy another new system. The most significant variables in both WORST CASE assumptions come from de- ciding what probability of success Boston Ed would have of imposing superfluous and punitive costs such as Control Boxes, meter fees and Customer Charges. Though the LLOC feel the probablility of these particular costs being allowed are low, for purposes of Worst Case scenarios these are accepted and included. For a more complete cost analysis of Buyout, call Myla Kabat-Zinn 861-8322 or Pete Kovner 861-7448. MYLA KABAT ZINN Chair LLOC John Davies Peter Kovner Don Olson IBACICGgOtjNDWCWANALYSISPFSTgggrLIGIIT/NGBUOUTOTIONS, 1 Pete Kavner for the LLOC 861-7448 May 20, 199 1 Yearly savings or losses of each blayoxt approark is compared to the benchmark cost of$384,000 in FT92 for a BEd owned system AFTER concersion. Again we lope that this$384,000 also represents the cost of the color-corrected lights ire are seeking, kat as stated on the previons page, this is not certain. AU costs herein.are with) inflation. In FT 93, the $384,000 benchmark may increase mon than from normal inflation, became BEd will file for its ant rate like i*6 years. Lexington has 3,248 street lights. The $ Totals in the 'if Lexington owns' lens (25) include the Ise is 2,600 fixtires-of the color-corrected 58 watt 8OiliMI1 Vapor Iwasaki light Minya it Town Meeting, 465 higher vattage Standard Sakai Vapor lights MA the 183 old bights in the Historic Districts. The FT=lams totals in rows (25) vary from year to year became ire tried to place maintenance costs in the year expected to wear railer Man to average them. over 13 years or so. This gives a truer plenum of the expenses or savings that Lexington is likely to face in the new fame. Buyout 1&2 ere nal best ease COSI*but estebresbed Casts mod . ,. &he expectations. .1000et:t::!iltErokt.:20**4:04 4000, 1*Siii*Oiiiiit:$004000 21 6111; :1 ipi**tiWiikitiaL..ir*iiiii*eai*1kf**tioiia1ii*teiiiif'tiiii:1kjkiitOo*tROii*t1'lt92 ni*00K***0iii4::*rdI.44 FY 92 FY 93 FY 94 FY 95 FY 96 FY 97 FY 98 FY99 FY2000 FY01 FY02 41Y01' 25 Yearly cost if Lex buys out&owns $459,841 $209,363 $258,109 $321,202 $246,495 $251,151 $303,782 $229,075 $223,269 $286,362 $222,117 $ 122,322 26 Benchmark if BEd converts &owns $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 127 Lex Ownership Savings (Loss)1($75 841 ) $ 174,637 $ 125 891 $62,798 $137 505 $ 132,849 $80,218 $ 154,925 $ 160 731 $97,638 $ 161 883 $261 678 Bil*OlkU2J 'Arnit;00.04).1Eli.,00.10:010:4: 10,i0e1014. it$220100 0:::*5W:1#001140titatiaiL .,A011104WWitOitilk.::kiiiip,itlide**Iiithitiat 00106101010... :14641.0000100:1.0*/#0... FY 92 FY 93 FY 94 FY 95 FY 96 FY 97 FY 98 FY99 FY2000 FY01 FY02 FY03 25 Yearly cost if Lex buys out&owns $392,184 $391,564 $ 176,490 $330,787 $255,950 $260,476 $312,977 $238,140 $232,203 $295,167 $230,793 $214,393 26 Benchmark if BEd converts &owns $384,000 $384 000 $384 000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384 000 127 Lex Ownership Savinqs(Loss) ($8 184) ($7 564) $207 510 $53,213 $128 050 $ 123,524 $71 023 $145 860 $ 151 797 $88,833 $ 153 207 $ 169 607 Buyout 3 & 4 are established costs plus every worst case assumption see Concrete Poles, Control Boxes & Customer Charges below* or in 1 0 year cost ana mowprircolsrowipErpgp:Botto*Ek#404totit.i.,i;woowboiikismogA4wit4;ititiow::**stotio4.::f4***00:41**AgOltia*Miii00040.0::.*Wr011imr],rY9r(pOi.Oraittritioii].4.6 FY 92 FY 93 FY 94 FY 95 FY 96 FY 97 FY 98 FY99 FY2000 FY01 FY02 ' 00 25 Total yearly cost Lexington owns $459,841 $337,577 $459,486 $517,493 $437,701 $437,270 $484,815 $405,022 $394,129 $452,136 $382,805 $204,760 26 Benchmark cost BEd owned system $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 $384,000 127 Lex Ownership Savings (Loss)($75 841 ) $46 423 ($75 486) ($ 133 493) ($53 701 ) ($53 270) ($ 100 815) ($21 022) ($ 10 129) ($68 136) $ 1 195 $179 240 13***4.44:11VgtfrciA2g.:AF.TER!IUFAL iiiiiiiiiiiiit$:40. iii0it iiiii432;999Alar At 651I *aiiiiitib.:AXiiiiri::.iiitiiiiiielliiit iiiiiiiiiiietitrut..&ioiattilioesi4juii;iiiitio*oio:;tliiiejoitot000k FY 92 FY 93 FY 94 FY 95 FY 96 FY 97 FY 98 FY99 FY2000 FY01 FY02 FY03 25 Total yearly cost Lexington owns $392,184 $391,564 $341,185 $628,132 $544,074 $539,378 $582,637 $498,599 $483,440 $537,182 $463,587 $437,965 26 Benchmark BEd owned system $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 $384 000 127 Lex Ownership Savinqs(Loss) ($8 184) ($7 564) $42,815 ($244 132) ($ 160 074) ($ 155 378) ($ 198 637) ($ 114 599) ($99 440) ($ 153 182) ($79 587) ($53 965) * Concrete Poles These are the underground wired concrete street lighting poles we have in the Center &elsewhere Worst case scenario supposes we must,pay for them,pull them out and replace them with new ones * Control Boxes &Meters This supposes that we must independently wire our street lights using junction control boxes and meter them,rather than use present wiring arrangement and billing arrangement. Street lights are not metered but charged on the basis of 4,200 hours per year of dusk to dawn use * Customer Charges Charges for billing and Boston Ed overhead These do not appear in our street light agreement,but were imposed an Yarmouth by Com Electric The City of Boston,which is also under Boston Ed,doesn