New LED lighting system will make Sea Cliff shine

With the Festival of Lights just around the corner, it’s fitting that the Village of Sea Cliff has begun a new initiative to improve local streetlights. The village is working to replace all 498 streetlights with LEDs as well as add 10 new LED lamps to various light-deficient locations around town.

The village had been looking into replacing the current light fixtures with more energy-efficient alternatives since 2019. The coronavirus pandemic put those plans on the backburner, but now, with help from a government program, the village will be able to make its streets safer, and be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Sea Cliff entered into a contract with RealTerm Energy, a Canadian renewable energy semiconductor manufacturer, roughly six months ago. RealTerm conducted an investment- grade audit of the village’s lights, which is complete and was submitted to the village board.

Bruce Kennedy, village administrator, explained during a village board meeting that the village was very specific with its requirements and expectations through the audit process.

“They listened to what we had to say about the color of the lights — they looked at what they had to shine it upon so they can get them to shine out to some degree, as opposed to straight down,” Kennedy said of RealTerm. “So they’ve created a whole chart of what fixture they need at each location.”

The project will take roughly seven months to complete, slowed partially by supply-chain issues, and will ultimately replace the bulbs of all 498 streetlights in Sea Cliff with LEDs. The audit also identified 10 out-of-the-way but well-walked spots around the village in need of lighting, where entirely new light fixtures will be added.

The project is largely funded by the Tax-Exempt Equipment Leasing Program, available to municipalities throughout New York. Through TELP, the village has taken out a 10-year, $288,000 financing agreement to cover the lion’s share of the expenses.

One of the most promising aspects of the new fixtures is that they will all be controlled by a central system, known as a smart control. According to Sea Cliff mayor Elena Villafane, this will not only allow the village to immediately be notified of damaged or malfunctioning lights, but it will also allow them to adjust the intensity of direction of the streetlights as needed, such as to decrease their output on a bright day.

“The smart control really gives us a real fine element of control over the situation,” Villafane explained. “I really believe that the smart control is well-worth the investment.”

This way, Villafane continued, if a resident has a complaint about a light fixture being too bright or not bright enough, they will be able to just call Village Hall and a Sea Cliff official will be able to adjust the light there. Although the village board hasn’t chosen which department will oversee this process, it will save taxpayers.

The board is also considering using the remaining $41,000 in funds from President Biden’s American Relief Plan Act to cover the cost of installing the smart control, which would bring the project up to roughly $329,000. Village officials say the superior lighting system offers enough benefits to make the project worth it.

Deputy Mayor Dina Epstein also stressed how switching to LED lights also provides numerous environmental benefits. She explained how LEDs are far more energy-efficient than traditional bulbs, in addition to having a longer life-span, reducing waste as fewer light bulbs have to be purchased every year.

“If I recall correctly I think LED lights in general use about 75 percent less energy than conventional light bulbs, while also being brighter and they have a longer life-span,” Epstein said. “There’s not as much waste because you’re not actually throwing them away as often.”

In addition, Epstein continued, Sea Cliff also hopes to gain points under the Climate Smart Communities program so that the village can become “bronze status,” giving them access to a wider range of grants, free technical assistance, and other benefits. Since the lights themselves are so much more efficient, the village will also see its lighting costs reduced significantly, and by the time the financing agreement is paid off, Sea Cliff will be making a net positive income with regard to lighting.