ASHFIELD — Following in the footsteps of Shelburne and Conway, Ashfield is considering switching its streetlights to LEDs.
Members of the Selectboard voted unanimously on Monday to move forward with the process of purchasing the 21 streetlights in town from Eversource and switching to LED bulbs. The idea of converting to LEDs has been considered by the town for several years, and is now possible due to the price to buy the streetlights from Eversource dropping to $1,735, the Ashfield Energy Committee informed the Selectboard.
“It’ll be great to get this going,” Selectboard Chair Tom Carter said.
Energy Committee member David Chandler said the town has been working with RTE Energy Solutions, the same company used by Shelburne for its streetlight conversion project and the same company hired by Conway to assist with a streetlight study to explore how the community’s lighting can be more efficient. The energy consultant estimates that switching to LEDs would cost Ashfield $20,829, plus the cost of buying the streetlights from Eversource.
The switch is estimated to save the town $5,366 in energy costs annually and provide a net savings of $2,370 after utility and maintenance costs.
The conversion would “pay for itself in seven to eight years,” Chandler said. However, the Energy Committee would seek grant funding to cover the full cost of conversion.
Chandler said the town must own the streetlights before it can switch the bulbs to LEDs, and the first step in that process is sending a nonbinding letter of intent to Eversource stating that the town wishes to buy the lights. He added that Eversource would still own the utility poles and be responsible for their upkeep, but the town would take ownership of the lighting attachments on the poles.
The Selectboard agreed to proceed with drafting a letter of intent to purchase the streetlights.
