LEDs in New Haven Traffic Lights > Roosevelt Home > Yale > Environment > LED Traffic Lights
This project seeks to develop a policy paper concerning the use of LEDs in New Haven traffic lights. Students will conduct research to address why the switch from incandescent light bulbs to LEDs in traffic lights is warranted and to determine how New Haven could institute such a change. The contents of the policy paper will be given to both the Board of Alderman as well as Mayor DeStefano’s office; testimony/presentation is also possible. The major problem with using incandescent light bulbs is their inefficiency: they rely on electricity to heat up tungsten coils to very high temperatures just to make them glow and produce light. In fact, ninety-eight percent of the energy used to power an incandescent light bulb is released in the form of heat; only two percent actually contributes towards the desired lighting. LED lights are a great alternative because of their efficiency in converting energy to light and their much lower energy requirements: on average, a LED requires just ten percent of the electricity used to power up a comparably bright incandescent bulb. LEDs also last much longer than incandescent bulbs- they are rated for lifespans from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand hours. Thus, LED replacement occurs very infrequently. This project would address the specific issue of incandescent light bulb replacement in New Haven traffic lights. The change to LEDs is something New Haven should definitely consider if factors like rising electricity costs and decreased LED maintenance expenses (since they don’t have to be replaced very often) are considered. Group members:
Aaron T Sin
Gregory Geusic
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