LED on the Water Tower

Ok, admittedly this is not the most exciting news in the history of Roland. But I do like posting on stuff that goes on that is new or different.

So if some night you are out walking or driving into town, and look up at our water tower, you will see the red lights on top. The FAA requires obstruction lights on structures like that, and so we are required to maintain the lights.

Well, what has been up there is your typical incandescent light bulb, with a red globe, to give the red light. They burn out somewhat frequently, causing a cost to the water department to hire somebody to shimmy up there and change it out.

With my main job at US Cellular, we are starting to change to LED sidelights on our towers. They are a little more expensive, but they last a long time, and they draw way less electricity. The need to change out the lights less is the big cost savings. It may cost a couple hundred bucks to get somebody deployed to change 2 dollars in light bulbs.

So by my estimate, the city will save maybe 10 cents a day in electricity costs ($35 a year), but in the long run, we should hopefully save a few multi-hundred dollar tower climbing bills. The LED light and fixture cost $317. Kind of expensive, but it has to go through FAA certification, and all that.

So if you look up at it, it is two globes, with several tiny LED lights that give the appearance of a "bulb". It is amazing what they can do with those things, and as evidenced with Innovative Lighting right here in Roland, with their various LED lighting products.

So when you look up at night, cast your eyes to the Light Emitting Diodes!

Here is a pic of it, from ITL in Nashville, TN.