The proposed Northampton LED streetlights are too glary and of poor color. We should wait and advocate for more decent alternatives from the utility incentive program. Otherwise we suffer and we help perpetuate faulty options in that program.
I chaired the then-active Energy Resources Commission when the last streetlight upgrade occurred about 25 years ago. We initiated and oversaw the successful program, with our able consultant, Tom Leue.
We insisted on, and got, “full cut-off” fixtures (with incentives) for most residential locations.
I personally determined, with a high-quality light meter, that these fixtures delivered similar light distribution as did more glary fixtures.
Glare gives the false impression of more useful light. However, it actually blinds us to seeing properly and reduces our enjoyment downtown and elsewhere, while wasting light into the night sky.
Thank you, Chris Mason, Northampton’s energy and sustainability officer, for the useful test installation on South Pleasant and Holyoke streets, and for your fine service to the city.
And thanks, William Dwight, for your reported comments and for your productive tenure on the City Council.
But I believe if we insist on better options from the utility program, we can achieve both quality light and energy savings.
BOB Rundquist
Northampton
The author is former chairman of the national building energy code committee.