The Town of Smithfield installs LED streetlights and EV charging stations

We are proud to recognize one of the winners of the 2022 Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards – the Town of Smithfield.

In 2021, the town of Smithfield audited, mapped, and converted its streetlights to energy saving LEDs throughout the community. The town converted 1,625 assets and deployed smart controls to allow for pre-programmed dimming or full remote control of the lighting. This conversion program is estimated to save over 518,000 kWhs annually, which is enough energy to power 86 homes annually.

Before the installation, Smithfield conducted an analysis of its entire street lighting system using GIS mapping. The town was able to identify all its lighting assets to determine if they were needed or truly redundant. This resulted in the removal of 410 fixtures and saved 137,000 kWhs annually, which is enough to power 23 homes per year. The reduction of these fixtures contributed to lowering the town’s greenhouse gas emissions and light pollution.

Smithfield was able to partner with National Grid and the RI Office of Energy Resources to acquire incentives and rebates totaling $172,000 for both energy efficient fixtures and smart controls. It is estimated that the energy savings and reduced maintenance services will save the town nearly $300,000 annually, which represents almost a 70 percent reduction in overall town-wide streetlight program costs.

In addition to converting to LED streetlights, the town of Smithfield also completed the installation of two dual port level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at the Smithfield Municipal Ice Rink. When comparing gas vehicles and EVs, it is estimated that this project will prevent almost 4 tons of CO2 emissions annually since installing the Ice Rink’s EV charging stations.

The total cost of the project was $61,900, of which National Grid paid $31,900 and OER paid $30,000. There was no cost to Smithfield.

The town of Smithfield is leading by example by demonstrating how a lighting conversion program can use GIS mapping to analyze redundancies in the street lighting system. By installing LED streetlights and EV charging stations, the town of Smithfield is a strong example for other municipalities to follow.