Why High Pressure Sodium Lights Are Used For Streetlights

Streetlights are something that we expect to light up at night if you live in a city or town. They provide a means for us to see at night and a measure of safety when walking at night. They are lit from the time the sun goes down until it rises the next morning. Though we might take them for granted, there was a lot of thought and planning that went into the selection and placement of the streetlights used on your street. Considerations were made regarding the amount of light required, the number of streetlights per block, and the future costs of keeping them lit. It was not an easy task. Today we'll take a look at how decisions were made to have your streets lit up at night with high pressure sodium light bulbs.

One of the biggest challenges of lighting an entire town or city is the sheer number of light bulbs that are required. Even though the streetlights are spread out in such a fashion that there is just enough light wherever you might be on the street, the number of them is still overwhelming. When you consider that most households use around twenty light bulbs, you can imagine how many are needed in a city setting. If you take a look outside your window and count the number of streetlights on the street, you'll begin to see that there are a large amount of lights required.

The catch with the large number of streetlights is that it becomes a situation where there are a large number of bulbs to be replaced at some future date. This can become a large financial burden if the municipality needs to replace them all at the same time. In order to put off this large cash outlay, longer life bulbs are used.

Though longer life bulbs are used, the price of each bulb must still be considered. In terms of price versus lifetime, high pressure sodium delivers the best bang for the buck. Typically, one can expect these lights to last on average for twenty-four thousand hours, which means that they will provide light each night for more than five years. On a per day basis, this makes them very cost effective. But the cost of replacing the bulb is not the only consideration when it comes to operating streetlights; the cost of electricity comes into play as well.

In the case of a city powering thousands of streetlights each night, energy efficiency is very important. With the ever increasing costs of electricity, cities try to make every effort to keep costs down. By choosing energy efficient lighting sources, cities can provide adequate lighting at night without spending a lot of money. Sodium based lamps are some of the most energy efficient lights and that is why they are usually chosen for city lighting.

Lighting a city can be a challenging and expensive process. When you consider the number of streetlights that are required to keep a city lit up at night, it becomes quite apparent that it is important to choose the right means to light the city. Some of the most critical aspects of choosing the proper street light include life expectancy, price and energy efficiency. Most cities use high pressure sodium lights because they provide light for many years, are inexpensive and are very energy efficient. In essence, they are the smart choice when it comes to lighting up city streets at night.