What is the Belen LED Conversion Project?
The City of Belen is proud to partner with Dalkia Energy Solutions, EDF Group to upgrade the City-owned Street Lighting Infrastructure to a more energy-efficient and cost-effective street lighting system.
Under the 15-year agreement, Dalkia will serve the community by installing and maintaining LED lighting and smart nodes on all City-owned street lights throughout Belen.
Through the Works Phase of this project, Dalkia will upgrade 478 City-owned Street Lights to LED luminaires with a remote-monitoring smart node system. This will include the high-mast lighting along Interstate 25, along with all City-owned Street Lighting on major roads, side streets, and residential neighborhoods. No new light poles will be installed during the initial Works phase.
The LED conversion of the existing City-owned street lights is expected to commence in Fall 2023 and is expected to take approximately one month to complete.
Through the Services Phase of this project, Dalkia will maintain the 478 upgraded City-Owned Street Lights for 15 years, via a Key Performance Indicator-based framework to ensure the highest level of service. Dalkia will also be able to perform additional projects for Belen.
There are approximately 600 Utility-Owned Street Lights in Belen that will not be upgraded or managed through this project. They will be managed through a separate project, run by PNM, the local electric utility.
The map below shows the lights that will be converted to LED and maintained by Dalkia as a result of the project.
Check back soon for a more detailed implementation schedule!
Project Benefits
There are many benefits to this investment. Because LED luminaires use dramatically less energy, the on-bill electricity savings will pay for this initiative over time.
In addition to the energy savings, all new LED luminaires will be fitted with Smart Nodes for remote monitoring for outages, which allows outages to be detected immediately and resolved quickly.
Further, operational efficiencies will be created within the City, as existing personnel will be able to dedicate more time to other duties.
Finally, Dalkia is bound to Key Performance Indicators such as maximum outage rate and minimum response time, which means the City is guaranteed an extremely high-level of service.
View from Mt. Wilson before LED Retrofit Project
(Los Angeles Basin, 2008)
View from Mt. Wilson after LED Retrofit Project
(Los Angeles Basin, 2012)
The current high-pressure sodium street lights are outdated, leading to problems,
including:
- High failure rate Consumes enormous kWh annually compared to new technology
- Little or no shielding, allowing light to spill upward into the night sky and into homes
- Long delays and unreliable repairs
The new LED street lighting system will provide many benefits, including:
- Extremely low failure rate, 4x longer life span
- Saves over 1 million kWh annually
- Strong, reliable maintenance—maximum 5 days for repair
- Smart technology allows for automatic outage reporting
- Full cutoff fixtures guarantee zero uplight, with additional shielding options available
- Safety improvements with more consistent, higher-quality lighting
- Light shining only on streets and sidewalks, reducing sky glow
Lighting 101
We want the community to be informed throughout the duration of the project. To help accomplish this goal, we’re providing a brief overview of some of the terms you might hear.
Lumen Output (lm)
The total visible light in all directions or the sum of candela measurements.
Input Power (Watts)
The electric power consumption of light fixtures. Watts are comparable to fuel consumption, while lumens can be compared to miles traveled.
Correlated Color Temperature (CCT)
The temperature of the lamp measured in Kelvin (K). A hot object emits a certain color (or wavelength) depending on its temperature, with lower temperatures appearing red and high temperatures appearing blue.
Light Distribution
The throw of the light pattern surrounding each luminaire. Light distribution patterns can be further shaped by additional shielding.
Cut Off
The amount of light allowed to spill above the horizontal plane of the fixture. All new LED fixtures will be “full cutoff,” meaning they provide 0% uplight. They also restrict backlight to the sidewalk, providing optimal application coverage without scattering light where it’s unwanted, like on private property or in house windows.
Shielding
An easy and effective method to prevent light trespass—shields block light from unwanted areas and direct it back toward the road. LEDs installed through this project will be capable of receiving additional shielding to improve resident comfort as needed.
Community Engagement
It is important to the City and to Dalkia that the community be a part of the project every step of the way.
We are currently requesting feedback from the public on potential options for the new Smart LEDs that will be installed on the existing street light poles on residential roadways in Belen.
The new LEDs will replace the existing, outdated street lights that currently exist in Belen. No new poles will be installed.
Residents can view two separate pilot demonstrations, located at:
- Desi Loop
- Mesa Rd
A map showing the demonstration poles can be downloaded here.
We encourage members of the community to visit any of these sites at their convenience and experience the lighting for themselves. Please take a moment to fill out information about your experience and provide your feedback to inform the selection process. The form can also be used for any questions or other comments.
All responses are received by a Dalkia team member.
If you would prefer to provide feedback over the phone, please call us at (505) 219-3780
Communication and Construction Updates
This website will act as one of our primary lines of communication with the public, providing you with:
- Project updates
- A forum for outage and maintenance reporting and follow up
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