Ridgewood November 25, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 5 Village to have energy saving street lights Public Service Electric & Gas has begun to install energy efficient street lights in New Jersey municipalities, including Ridgewood and Saddle River. The new fixtures are brighter, last four times longer, and cost less to operate than older, existing models. PSE&G is the first utility in the nation to provide these new fixtures, which are expected to reduce municipal lighting bills by $1 million annually. The utility will replace 96,400 of the less efficient mercury vapor municipal street lights with new induction fluorescent lights. The upgrades will provide an environmentally friendly source of light and help lower municipal lighting bills. “This program is a win-win for the communities we serve,” said Ralph LaRossa, president and COO of PSE&G. “It brings a new green source of lighting to our neighborhoods as it provides some relief to municipal budgets.” PSE&G will invest $50 million to provide the energy efficient street lighting to the 220 municipalities in its service area. The lighting change is part of a $700 million capital program designed to stimulate the economy and provide jobs over two years by accelerating electric and gas infrastructure projects. The new “green” fixtures last up to 100,000 hours before they need maintenance, use 30 to 40 percent less electricity, and contain significantly less mercury than the mercury vapor units they are replacing. They provide a number of additional benefits over mercury vapor lighting. They are a white light source that allows the eye to see objects more clearly. An electronic driver in the fixture allows for maximum energy efficiency, as less than five percent of energy consumed is lost to heat. PSE&G partnered with US Lighting Technologies of Signal Hill, California, in developing a solution to replacing obsolete mercury vapor street lights. PSE&G’s street lighting team and USLT’s design and engineering team developed an innovative cobra head replacement that delivers utility grade performance with contemporary styling. The fixture is called “The Jersey” and features a contemporary housing with utility grade latching and hinging components. When completed, the replacement program will save municipalities an estimated $1 million annually at today’s rates. An additional benefit of the program will be the reduction of an estimated 21,000 tons of CO2 gases and an estimated 45,000 megawatt hours annually. The schedule of replacements was developed to provide equity to all municipalities large and small who have mercury vapor street lighting with PSE&G. There are no upfront costs or charges to municipalities to participate in the program. PSE&G is New Jersey’s oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state’s population. ������������ ������������ ���� ���� ���� ���� �� �������������� ��������������� ������ ���������� �������� ������������ ������������ �������� ������������� ������������������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������� ������������ ������������������������������������������������ �������������� ���������������������� ® ��������������� ����������������� ���������������������