"LED Roadway and Outdoor Area Lighting" contains the following LED fixture types: roadway, post-top, floodlight and wall lighter.

Purchasing from FAC100 state contract offers a straightforward and economical path to procurement. Like any other state contract, it is "pre-bid", so the hard part is done. 

MAPC worked with OSD to create this state contract in 2012.  LED streetlights were becoming a great opportunity, yet it made no sense for each town and city to separately write up their own RFB.  

It is certainly much easier.  Plus, we have seen the results of stand-alone bids, and they have offered no advantage.  Purchases through state contract have cost less and saved more energy while achieving the same or better quality.   

This approach presumes a need for a separate layer of design and/or consulting.  The fee for that service can and should be seen as separate from procurement of product.  

Although you don't pay it, 1% of every procurement through state contract goes to MAPC.  Even with this fee built in, state contract pricing still nets out lower to the towns. 

How to purchase new streetlight technology is a tough decision.  But, even if you don't buy off state contract we can still be your supplier.  We have guided many communities through the process. Please call us today to ask more questions.

Every streetlight needs a control, and for decades that has meant a dusk-to-dawn photocontrol. The basic "cap" can still be used in a new LED streetlight, but better would be a long-life version which comes close to matching the expected lifetime of the LED fixture.

These are networked addressable units that can be programmed to do a lot more than just turn on at night and off in the morning. They can increase energy savings by dimming lights and/or reducing on-time.  Settings can be changed, and it can be done remotely.

Towns today should definitely consider smart controls. In fact, some Massachusetts towns have been installing them already in 2015.

Yes, depending on settings, smart controls can boost total energy savings from about 63% (quality LED fixtures alone) up to over 80%. Once programmed, they will produce these additional energy savings immediately  by varying the electrical input over time.

Currently, utility tariffs do not have a mechanism for a varying load.  So, until the tariff changes, these additional energy savings will not translate to dollar savings for the town.  The consensus is that such tariff changes are not a question of "if", but rather of "when".  We anticipate New England to have smart-controls supported within a couple of years.

A wide variety of other applications may open up for the communication network; it is like the variety of applications for cell phones.  Such opportunities -- security/safety, flexibility, enhanced capabilities and future-proofing -- are some of the key selling points for smart control systems.  Others have stated: "Sensors transform fixtures into an applications platform."

The added cost for these units is significant, although they can be included as an accessory and purchased along with LED streetlights on State Contract FAC76 Category 6.

Since new tariffs are hopefully coming soon, and the cost of labor need not be duplicated, putting these controls in at the same time that fixtures are installed can make a lot of sense.

We recommend that any new LED streetlight conversion be installed smart-control-ready.  New standards for the receptacle to accommodate smart controls have been accepted, and the incremental cost for that receptacle is minimal.  This way, the controls themselves can be purchased and installed later.