Napa Valley Town installs GlasWerks LED fixtures to reduce energy, bolster safety

February 11, 2019 Lily Valencia

Yountville CA Case Study

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixtures create inviting environment for visitors and residents

Although the Town of Yountville, California claims only 3,000 residents, the town boasts more Michelin stars for dining per capita than any place on earth. Situated in the picturesque North Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay area, the town is nestled at the heart of the Napa Valley and recognized as a highly desired destination for wine connoisseurs and gourmet diners.

With thousands of visitors converging on the town each year, Yountville has 230 light fixtures installed along roadways and sidewalks to help ensure driver and pedestrian safety. The town owns and maintains 130 of these luminaires and recently retrofit 44 of the fixtures with Holophane GlasWerks® LED units to boost energy efficiency and create a more inviting environment for residents and visitors.

Yountville funded the lighting upgrade with an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant coupled with a loan. The town previously lit its streets using gas lamp type luminaires with 70-watt high pressure sodium lamps installed on concrete aggregate poles.

“The Town of Yountville is very committed to reducing energy consumption and green house gas emissions,” said Graham Wadsworth, P.E., Public Works Director/Town Engineer for the Town of Yountville. “Installing the GlasWerks luminaires has significantly reduced our energy costs because we can use 50-watt LED lamps versus the 70-watt high pressure sodium lamps employed with the previous system.”

GlasWerks fixtures are mounted on 16-foot single-piece black aluminum Colorado style poles from Holophane, which feature banner arms and a decorative octagonal base. Storm drains on one side of the street and underground utilities on the other necessitated construction of alternative pole foundations consisting of 5’ x 5’ concrete slabs.

The poles—which are surrounded by trees and greenery—were installed at the same locations as the former concrete posts and sit 18 inches from the curb face. Poles are spaced approximately 150 feet with staggered spacing on each side of the street. Because the town has street parking, poles are positioned between cars and trees so drivers and passengers do not strike them with their doors. The lighting fixtures also line up with businesses’ driveways to add an element of safety.

“Part of our mission is to provide safe streets and an inviting public environment for people to live and visit,” Wadsworth said.  “We have a number of festivals and attractions, such as the art walk with sculptures and the Annual Festival of Lights. The GlasWerks LED luminaires have a sparkle and provide white, uniform illumination on streets and sidewalks without shining light onto adjoining properties.”   

Wadsworth added that town officials like the GlasWerks LED fixtures and Colorado poles so much that they have designated them a town standard.

“Everyone likes the new lighting fixtures,” he said. “Many people have asked when the town plans to install the luminaires in their neighborhoods.”

The GlasWerks fixtures are lit from dusk until dawn and controlled by photocell.  Based on the energy savings resulting from the lighting retrofit, the town is working with Pacific Gas & Electric to decrease its rates, which are based on watts consumed per luminaire.

“We have significantly reduced our monthly energy bills for street lighting,” Wadsworth said. “Payback for the fixtures is based on those savings.”

With the Town of Yountville responsible for maintaining the GlasWerks LED luminaires, Wadsworth said he does not expect the fixtures to require any maintenance for years. Yountville has 80 Holophane fixtures illuminating its streets and sidewalks and plans to install additional GlasWerks LED luminaires in the future.  

 

Products Included In This Solution

 Holophane GlasWerks LED

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