BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES

Showing result(s) 1 - 35 of 35

Posted By	Posted Date	Comments	Attachments(s)
E.M.Suanno	8/22/2023 12:17:50 AM	Per #QO22110710 LED bulb replacement. I've only recently become fully aware, from life-experience, augmenting my scientific background, that artificial lights, the cool very bright LED's, that are a major disruptor of our human circadian rhythms, thus disrupting our sleep and consequently our daytime functioning and overall physical, mental and emotional health. The same I'm sure can be said for the fauna and flora. Surely they deserve a good nights sleep too. If everything comes down to dollars & cents, then we must consider the incalculable costs of that which I listed above. Without health, we have nothing.
Mary OCOnnell	7/17/2023 4:35:38 PM	I understand the need for energy conservation and reduced cost in installing LED street lighting. And yet, there exists the need to take into account the effect of very blue harsh light on both animals and humans.Years ago our street lights were converted to LED and the effect now is a very harsh bright light that has had effect on my sleeping ability. My regular blinds could not keep out the like emitted from the street light even though then lamp is not directly in front of my home.
Kristin L. Rothenberger	6/1/2023 10:12:07 AM	As you make your recommendations, please reference the guidance of the International Dark-Sky Association and MIT. https://www.darksky.org/our-work/lighting/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/17/1057652/outdoor-led-lighting/ And there might not be one Kelvin recommendation for all instances. As this study suggests, there might be different solutions for different conditions. https://www.zgsm-china.com/blog/guidelines-and-award-criteria-of-city-street-lighting-project.html "Compared to various older lighting technologies, LED lighting offers the opportunity to flexibly adjust or select color temperature for various applications. However, it should be taken into account that the color temperature of the light source has an impact on the energy efficiency of the lighting system, which may have physiological effects on humans and animals. Cool white light with a high color temperature provides a higher level of energy efficiency for the lighting system. On the other hand, the high intensity of blue light in cool white light sources may also cause health and safety issues that must be considered. Research has shown that white light supports the human eye's perception more effectively than yellow light, and therefore appears brighter. Therefore, in complex road situations involving different types of road users (eg cars, cyclists, pedestrians), white light (eg 4000 K) is usually preferred. In contrast, lower, warmer color temperatures may be more suitable for areas with higher dimensions." Thank you.
Susan Basu	5/22/2023 7:20:42 AM	For new street lights, I kindly ask that they be dim (not bright), amber (not white), and motion activated (not constant). Street lights cause light pollution and insect population reduction. Insects are crucial to biodiversity, they are important food for birds, and they pollinate many plants.
Nancy Greene	4/26/2023 11:16:59 PM	Please ensure that any new lighting installations will provide “warm white” lighting, Not bright white. Bright white hurts my eyes day and night. And it makes me - and those around me- less safe while I am driving at night. I also understand that bright white lighting is harmful to the vision and safety of non-human animals too, I feel that is it extremely important to adopt this specification in all Bergen County and NJ lighting installations. . Thank you very much for your consideration.
Phaedra Singelis	4/19/2023 8:30:58 PM	Please reduce the number of street lights and if you must use them, please consider yellow or warm temperature and low level lights. This not only helps wildlife, but also people, who struggle to sleep with so many blue lights in our lives already. And if you have kids or grandkids who love fireflies, do it for them. Read more about Dark Sky Initiative here: https://www.darksky.org/. and fireflies here: https://www.xerces.org/endangered-species/fireflies/how-you-can-help
Megan A Coakley	4/7/2023 11:55:40 AM	LED's have been pitched to us as a way to save money but the effect of the bulbs in the short and long term do not ultimately result in savings. LED's are harmful to plants, animals, and humans. They temporarily blind drivers and pedestrians, they upset nocturnal animals, and they distort the seasonal cycles of plant life which support pollinators. They are not a solution for climate change. We should be looking for ways to make our communities darker and safer and there are many ways to accomplish this by following the guidelines of Dark Sky Initiative. Please listen to your constituents, not the lobbyists for LEDs.
Lora Friedenthal	4/5/2023 10:55:23 PM	I think the change to LED is good but you should use warm colors that won't disrupt human circadian rhythms and affect pollinators. The lights should be shaded to direct light only where needed and not compound light pollution by shining up and out where it does no good.
Jessica Dunlap	4/3/2023 8:13:21 PM	I share the concerns that plant and wildlife experts have about LED temperatures in public spaces. I urge you to ensure that future installations of LED street lights have temperatures of 3000K or lower. Existing Sodium-vapor street lights have a temperature of around 2200K whereas new LED street lights are around 4000K, a “cooler” temperature much closer to daylight. There is scientific evidence that this is bad for pollinators, which in turn will be bad for native plants. Although the direct impact of these cooler color temperatures on nearby plant life is under-researched, evidence suggests that there are adverse effects from street lights on plants, which need darkness to anticipate the seasons, for example, to anticipate that fall and winter are coming and that it is time to lose their leaves and cooler lights, which are closer to “daylight” temperatures are more likely to impact this process. The American Medical Association also notes the disruption cooler temperature LEDs have on human health.
Matylda Biedron	3/31/2023 9:04:45 PM	Please do not upgrade to LEDs. I'm one of many individuals that have an LED sensitivity and cannot even have them in my own home because they give me migraines and strain my eyes. I understand we need to help address climate change, but it shouldn't be at the expense of human health and nature. Please visit the Native Plant Society of New Jersey to gain a better understanding of the impact of LED temperature on nature. And please visit The American Medical Association link below, the AMA also notes the disruption cooler temperature LEDs have on human health: https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/councilreports/downloadreport?uri=/councilreports/a16_csaph2.pdf Please refrain from using Daylight 4000k temperature LEDs. It's getting more and more difficult to drive at night with the implementation of daylight LEDs. Please use LEDs as similar as possible to the current soft warm bulbs in use. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
lynda mcgowan	3/29/2023 10:04:17 PM	please consider light pollution and its impact on insects and birds there is a quick noticeable decrease in diversity SOS
Priyesh Bhishnurkar	3/29/2023 5:00:18 PM	Help the dark sky by using LED short street lights.
Margaret Comes	3/29/2023 4:50:17 PM	Attached are Comments of Rockland Electric Company	BPU Docket QO22110710 RECO Comments LED Streetlighting3-29-2023
Solomon David	3/29/2023 4:24:37 PM	Please see the attached comments of Atlantic City Electric Company	ACE - LED Streetlight Comments - QO22110710 - 3-29-2023
Emilie Stander	3/29/2023 3:13:12 PM	This comment is submitted on behalf of the Raritan Borough Environmental Commission. The EC would like to share a few areas of concern for Raritan Borough: • Would like to be offered options for low glare, low light pollution LED designs (especially in peaceful neighborhoods, etc) • Would like to see design options that offer the ability to physically shade light from entering homes and business windows (not just dimmable brightness controls) • Would like to see options for light fixtures that will not fill entire areas with intense glare like other recent LED installs and retrofits we have seen nearby. In another municipality we recently spotted overhead pole mounted LED fixtures that brightly light crosswalks without sending stray light even a few feet away from the painted area. We would like this option as well. • Not interested in cameras and other surveillance technology LED streetlights can save energy, but they can also cause issues, such as bright light shining into homeowners homes, and can sometimes produce a powerful glare that can obstruct drivers’ and pedestrians’ vision in certain locations. Low glare LEDs would be great for many municipalities and or specific neighborhoods. Many retrofitted LED street lamps emit bright light further and wider than older lamp technology. We feel that BPU’s program should install LED light fixtures while also protecting homeowners, drivers and pedestrians from unpleasant, potentially dangerous glare. Adjustable lamps can be used to prevent the new streetlights from shining into homes and car windows while driving. Adjustable streetlights could be used to help drivers and pedestrians see better at night by preventing glare in certain locations where the older style lamps were dimmer or more focused on the roadway and walkway. Also, a question regarding light pollution: are lower lumen LEDs available? Many municipalities or specific neighborhoods currently have or only need low lumen replacement lamps. It would be a shame to degrade a pleasant neighborhood atmosphere with unnecessarily bright lamps. Also, some communities are currently zoned for low-light pollution lamps. We recommend that no surveillance, network attached devices be used. We can see when the lamp is not working and can replace it. We don’t need more cameras and tracking devices installed. We don’t need the added costs – upfront, operational, or societal. Thank you, Raritan Borough Environmental Commission
DesignLights Consortium (DLC)	3/29/2023 2:53:21 PM	Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment. Please find the DLC's letter attached here.	DLC Response to NJBPU LED RFC - QO22110710
Daniel Kirby	3/29/2023 2:33:21 PM	The prospect of replacing streetlights with LED light fixtures is promising in terms of reducing energy consumption, but increasing outdoor light pollution has negative effects on human health and the natural environment. New Jersey is one of the most light polluted parts of the country, our nights are already very very bright, if we're planning to replace our streetlights with LEDs we should mandate that they be no brighter than the existing incandescent, HPS, or LPS streetlights. LEDs should be an environmental win-win, they should allow us to produce the same amount of (already troublesome) light with less energy, they should not be an opportunity to use the same amount of energy to produce more glare and more harm to the environment. We should follow the International Dark Sky Association's lighting guidelines. Lighting must be useful, targeted, as low as possible, warm in color, and ideally controlled so that it's not used when no human being is present to use it. With the advent of LED headlights very few motorists need overhead streetlights to see the road in front of them. Pedestrian safety can be aided by lighting, but ideally we should be using lighted waist-high bollards to allow pedestrians to see and be seen, not overhead streetlamps. What we should be doing is phasing out the use of overhead streetlamps on highways and local roads, and introducing pedestrian safety bollard lights in urban and suburban areas where pedestrian safety is at a premium.
Stacey M. Barnes	3/29/2023 2:19:59 PM	PSE&G is pleased to offer the attached comments in response to the Request for Comments on the Board of Public Utilities Implementation of the Light Emitting Diode Streetlight Program.	2023-03-29 - PSEG Comments - LED Streetlights
Kevin Conod	3/29/2023 2:19:51 PM	We are being bombarded by light at night from every direction now. We are being blasted in the face by LED headlights, digital billboards, parking lot lights, signage, shopfronts lined in LED lights. Now you want to change streetlights into LED too? It seems everyone is hellbent on turn night into day, lighting everything up like a prison yard and blinding everyone in the process. Its so bad that companies have started offering light blocking shades for bedroom windows because people can't sleep at night. Light pollution is so bad much of the night sky is invisible and it is effecting flora, fauna and human health. It is getting to the point where many people - especially seniors can't drive at night anymore because of all the glare. LED lighting in general is too bright and too blue. It's sad because NJ was once a leader in the fight against Light Pollution. No more.
Mark Zdziarski	3/29/2023 11:31:34 AM	As an Environmental Scientist, I can tell you that there is a way to RESPONSIBLY install LED lighting that is actually more cost effective and safer than the LED industry has been leaning toward. Instead of maximizing cost savings, the industry leans toward making the lights as bright possible, which is significantly more costly, and frankly MUCH more dangerous. they do this by making the intensity overly bright, and putting the color temperature into the blue/ white 6000k+ instead of a reasonable 3000K. This not only has the effect of blinding individuals, but it also effects public health, and the health of wildlife. We will be seeing class action lawsuits in the future due to the LED lighting effecting circadian rhythms of humans and getting various types of cancers as a result of the light intensity and color spectrum. This can all be solved by following International Dark Sky Association guidelines for lighting. FULLY SHIELDED, reasonable intensity and color temperature can sole all of these problems, and keep the state from a class action lawsuit in the future, with the added benefit of using less energy than the standard model of LED's. Frosting the bulbs and fixtures will also help to diffuse the intensity as well. This is already done with common warm light household led's to great effectiveness. Fully shielded, and reasonable intensity light will stop glare, and prevent accidents as well. I can tell you from experience that on RT 80 West ( Denville/ Rockaway area) there are already blinding issues due to poorly installed NEW LED's in which I nearly avoid accidents on a daily basis due to this problem. They are on a 40 degree angle and can blind you in an instant. Basically, if you can see the bulb it's a problem. It also has another name called LIGHT TRESPASS. This is when unwanted light makes its way on to other people's property, even entering windows, etc. From the safety and reducing crime standpoint, blinding light gives criminals a place to hide as they know if you're blinded, you cannot see them either. Fully Shielded light will allow an individual to be spotted because observer's pupils will not close down from being blinded either. More light is not always better in this regard. The other part of the equation is making NJ's already bad light pollution problem MUCH worse than it is. BLUE/ White light scatters off of water droplets in the sky much more than warmer light does. This is a problem for NJ's wildlife as well as for humans. So PLEASE consider doing this the correct way, and see attached for more guidelines.It will save the state more money than doing this the careless way, and avoid future public health and wildlife damage. Once again please see the attached for good lighting guidelines. Thank you for your consideration.	lighting shielding-lumican Five-Principles-for-Responsible-Outdoor-Lighting-IDAIES-01-1-2048x1485-1 led_spectrum
Jeff Carlisle	3/29/2023 11:11:02 AM	I'm an amateur astronomer. The common complaint amongst my peers is the degree of skyglow that blocks our view of stars, planets, galaxies and nebulae that would, otherwise, fill our view of the night sky. A visit to the IDA (Int'l Dark-Sky Assoc.) website can take you to an article that illustrates the amount of light lost to the atmosphere at night, as seen by satellite: https://www.darksky.org/eyes-in-the-sky-exploring-global-light-pollution-with-satellite-maps/ Where would you rather vacation: east or west of the Mississippi? Aside from the loss of night sky beauty, there are health concerns about our exposure to blue light at night. Blue light disrupts our circadian rhythm and that of wildlife. It can also produce long-term damage to our eyes. Computer and cell phone manufacturers have added options to limit the amount of blue light displayed in response to this. These articles on Harvard and UC Davis websites explain: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/blue-light-effects-on-your-eyes-sleep-and-health/2022/08 All this to say that LED lights can be useful and economical if implemented properly: Install LEDs that limit the amount of blue light. Install fixtures that focus and deflect all light to the roadway where it is needed. Install sensors that can detect traffic and dim the lights when the roadway is empty.
Philip Femano	3/29/2023 10:57:35 AM	In order to minimize light pollution in city areas, consider the following: 1. restrain property lighting to the warmer, less piercing 3000° rather than allowing up to 4000+. 2. restrain large corporate signs from remaining illuminated all night as a 24 hr advertisement which otherwise serves no useful purpose. Those high powered signs radiate light far more intensely than house or street lights. 3. Require residential lighting to require a directional shield for power greater than, e.g., 60W incandescent equivalent.
Ed Parkin	3/29/2023 10:38:22 AM	As a long time resident of Clifton, and as I have seen both the inevitable rise in property taxes, not to mention utility costs, I truly hope complete due diligence has been done in the consideration of switching to LED street lamps. There is more than just cost involved in this decision! I am sure you are aware the direct serious impact of 4000K CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) LED lamps on nearby plant life and birds. This is bad enough and this aside, are you also aware that the American Medical Association (AMA) has serious concerns for our personal health in regards to the 4000K CCT LED street lights? The AMA has cautioned that the blue light of these cooler color temperature lamps scatter more in the human eye than the longer wavelengths of yellow and red, and sufficient levels can DAMAGE THE RETINA! And aside from this serious concern, because of their cooler temps they also more immediately can cause problems seeing clearly for safe driving or walking at night. Which obviously has an immediate impact on our personal SAFETY! Additionally, the AMA has determined that these cooler temp lights can have a negative impact on our circadian rhythm which effects physical, mental, and behavioral changes in a person. Come on! Is saving a couple of bucks worth this? And if this information is out there now, and you do not address these concerns, how much litigation is there going to be down the road? Who is going to pay for that? Please consider keeping the CCT of these LED lamps below 3000K. Thank You....
Melissa Thier	3/28/2023 6:09:48 PM	As a resident that wants to best for New Jersey citizens, I am concerned about the color temperature of the proposed LED lights and requests that future installations of LED street lights have temperatures of 3000K or lower. Existing Sodium-vapor street lights have a temperature of around 2200K whereas new LED street lights are around 4000K, a “cooler” temperature much closer to daylight. There is scientific evidence that this is bad for humans, birds, pollinators and native plants. The American Medical Association also notes the disruption cooler temperature LEDs have on human health. Listed are two articles. AMA adopts guidance to reduce harm from high intensity street lights \| American Medical Association (ama-assn.org), https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/councilreports/downloadreport?uri=/councilreports/a16_csaph2.pdf There are many environmental concerns. The Bright blue-rich white light can cause some issues for residents, local wildlife, native plants, and night sky, https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi8322, which in turn will be bad for native plants. Additionally, the direct impact of these cooler color temperatures on nearby plant life is under-researched, evidence suggests that there are adverse effects from street lights on plants, which need darkness to anticipate the seasons, for example, to anticipate that fall and winter are coming and that it is time to lose their leaves and cooler lights, which are closer to “daylight” temperatures are more likely to impact this process.
Lauren Morse	3/28/2023 5:17:35 PM	As a member of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, and as an urban resident, I am concerned about the color temperature of the proposed LED lights and requests that future installations of LED street lights have temperatures of 3000K or lower. Existing street lights have a temperature of around 2200K whereas new LED street lights are around 4000K, a “cooler” temperature much closer to daylight. There is scientific evidence that this is bad for pollinators, which in turn will be bad for native plants. Evidence suggests that there are adverse effects from street lights on plants, which need darkness to anticipate the seasons, for example, to anticipate that fall and winter are coming and that it is time to lose their leaves and cooler lights, which are closer to “daylight” temperatures are more likely to impact this process. The American Medical Association also notes the disruption cooler temperature LEDs have on human health. Due to these concerns, I urge you to revise the LED adoption to minimize impacts on the health of humans and wildlife.
Kazys Varnelis	3/28/2023 1:16:35 PM	The Native Plant Society of New Jersey is concerned about the color temperature of the proposed LED street lights and requests that future installations of LED street lights have temperatures of 3000K or lower. Existing Sodium-vapor street lights have a temperature of around 2200K whereas new LED street lights are around 4000K, a “cooler" temperature much closer to daylight. There is scientific evidence that this is bad for pollinators, for example, https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi8322, which in turn will be bad for native plants. Although the direct impact of these cooler color temperatures on nearby plant life is under-researched, evidence suggests that there are adverse effects from street lights on plants, which need darkness to anticipate the seasons, for example, to anticipate that fall and winter are coming and that it is time to lose their leaves and cooler lights, which are closer to “daylight” temperatures are more likely to impact this process. The American Medical Association also notes the disruption cooler temperature LEDs have on human health: https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/councilreports/downloadreport?uri=/councilreports/a16_csaph2.pdf.
Cindy Malinchak	3/28/2023 10:44:50 AM	Please see attached letter from Signify in support of the LED STREETLIGHT CONVERSION	Signify Letter to BPU - LED STREETLIGHT PROGRAM v2
Arnold Clifton Ashcraft jr.	3/22/2023 4:04:14 PM	LED lights ??need to be 3000 K, fully shielded, pointing downward… The higher temperature LEDs are harmful to health according to the American Medical Association. See: https://www.darksky.org/ama-report-affirms-human-health-impacts-from-leds/
Robert Vornlocker	3/15/2023 10:40:04 AM	see attached	Comments to BPU LED
Andrew K. Dembia	3/15/2023 8:49:08 AM	Please see attached comments.	NJNG Comments Submission QO22110710
Ben Gardner	3/14/2023 11:56:15 AM	Regarding Docket No. QO22110710 LED Streetlight Program, Northeast Group would like to share a few comments. We are a Washington, DC-based smart infrastructure market intelligence firm that has been covering the street lighting market since 2012. We have published a number of studies and datasets on the market over the past decade and believe there are a few key points to keep in mind while considering the conversion of streetlights to LEDs. First and foremost, any such deployment should also include streetlight controls at the same time as the LED deployment, to make them “smart streetlights.” The reason for this is twofold: one, you are already visiting each streetlight to install the LED and therefore the marginal cost is effectively zero to also install a control and two, controls provide for significant additional savings over LEDs alone. A second point we would like to make is about this savings potential of both LEDs and streetlight controls. LEDs provide well documented energy savings of typically 50-60% and controls enhance these savings by a further 10-20% on average, according to our research. So LED streetlights with controls are 60-80% more energy efficient than legacy HPS streetlights. But overall savings are not limited to energy savings. Operations and maintenance (O&M) savings can be very significant when streetlight controls are added. Some cities and utilities have even told us that O&M savings are greater than energy savings. These savings come from the ability to pinpoint outages and day burners and more efficiently roll trucks to repair them, from reduced call center volume of citizens calling about streetlight outages, from the ability to implement constant lumen strategies and other efficiencies enabled by controls. A third point to consider are the regulatory constructs that will enable savings. Chief among these are both LED tariffs and tariffs covering the energy savings from dimming with controls. The later tariffs are not nearly as common as the former, but there are innovative and forward looking utilities that are developing them across the US. These new tariffs are enabled by the NEMA ANSI C136.50 standard covering metering accuracy for network lighting controls. A final point that is important to consider is the myriad of additional smart city applications that dovetail with the street lighting infrastructure. These include EV charging stations that integrate with streetlight poles; public Wi-Fi; air quality, environmental and flood monitoring sensors; smart parking applications; and vehicle and pedestrian counting sensors that enable more efficient transportation planning and other benefits. Each of the business cases for these additional smart city applications must be evaluated on it own, with a robust cost-benefit analysis. Some will be good projects while others may not be as suitable, depending on the unique attributes of the service territory or city. But what is clear from our research and data is that LED streetlights with controls is a straightforward business case with benefits that far outweigh the costs. There is a huge opportunity to expand general knowledge of these proven benefits so more cities and utilities deploy smart streetlights to realize them. Ben Gardner President, Northeast Group LLC ben.gardner@northeast-group.com
Barbarasue Schmidt	3/3/2023 4:52:24 PM	We have flooded our state with light. We do not need bright lights joining the distracting flashing digital billboards. LED is too bright for night driving. It is invasive to home near them. On roads that have sporadic street lights it is confusing to the driver to encounter bright white light. Too much light is not good for wildlife.
David Caplin	3/2/2023 3:31:07 PM	Perfectly sensible replacement program. Well worth the cost considering long term savings in terms of money and the planet.
Steve Klocke	3/2/2023 10:16:13 AM	Question 8 references a standard that doesn't exist. Rather than "Bright Sky" standards, I believe the question should refer to "Dark Sky" standards. See here: https://www.darksky.org/ Thank you.
Ani Niwargi	3/1/2023 10:57:42 PM	Has the state or have the utilities looked at ways to self-sustain the street lights especially on highways? We need to explore ways to keep the streetlights running while using minimal energy. Please look at https://alpha-311.com/ for an example of traffic lights powered by movement of air due to traffic,

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