Residents heard the latest on Chester’s conversion of its streetlights to LED at an Aug. 16 meeting, and also had a chance to share any concerns with members of the Chester Energy Team. Town officials say the switch to LED streetlights, from high pressure sodium lights, will reduce costs and use less energy.

First Selectman Lauren Gister updated attendees on the town’s progress on the retrofit plan. Over the past year, the town purchased the 113 streetlights in Eversource’s inventory for Chester from the utility company. The lights were paid for using money from the capital account, and the conversion is being done using a $100,000 no-interest loan from Eversource, which will be paid back over four years.

“If we own our own lights, we get a cheaper rate from Eversource,” said Gister, “and control of what kind of lights would be going in next.”

Gister noted that the lights would have been converted to LED by Eversource anyway, but Eversource wouldn’t have offered the flexibility to choose how bright the lights would be in different parts of town, or the color of the lights. Through July, an assessor from Tanko Lighting, the company contracted to do the conversion and maintain the lights after installation, collected data about each streetlight in town and developed a lighting design, which was presented at the meeting, and is available to view online at chesterct.org/important-informational-streetlight-meeting. The plan uses light poles Chester already owns, with nothing added or removed. The goal is to have the equipment ordered this month, and installed in October.

Once the install begins, it is expected to take about a week to complete. After the conversion, there will be an audit and assessment by Eversource through November and December.

The LEDs are guaranteed for 20 years, far longer than the sodium bulbs they replace, but they will degrade over time. The expected annual savings is between $25,000 and $30,000 per year.

The design of the new lights will reduce light pollution by using dark sky technology, which keeps the light from being directed upwards above the fixture. LEDs are a more focused light source, so that means less light will shine into people’s houses, which has been a concern for some residents. To maintain the ambiance of the town, there was also an effort to use the warmest colored light possible at the lowest wattage possible while providing enough light for safety. The energy team demonstrated the differences in color and wattage so that attendees could have a better idea of what the lights would look like.

After the presentation and status update, residents in attendance were able to log concerns and requests regarding the brightness of light in particular areas. These were recorded on the design map, and included comments made prior to the meeting by residents of Chester by contacting the First Selectman’s office. Most concerns were about the lights being too bright in neighborhoods or in the downtown area, and either spilling over into people’s homes, or otherwise affecting the ambiance of the downtown.

The Chester Energy Team will next meet on Thursday, Aug 24 at 9 a.m. at Town Hall to review citizens’ comments and then provide its recommendation to Tanko. Residents are encouraged to view the design map at chesterct.org. Questions or concerns can be directed to the First Selectman’s Office at 860-526-0013 ext. 202.