BURRILLVILLE – Things are now looking brighter for the local teams that play night games at the fields on Howard Avenue, with the recently completed installation of nearly 100 energy-efficient LED lights.
The project will provide a needed fiscal boost for both the town and the leagues that play there, which have paid high costs to use the facility in recent years.
The upgrade was completed through a partnership between Pascoag Utility District, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, the Burrillville School Department and the town of Burrillville as part of a larger initiative to also improve lighting at Burrillville High School. Work at the school, completed in October, involved replacement of 2,304 lights with new LED fixtures, along with sensors and controls, resulting in an anticipated savings of 273,000 kilowatt-hours annually.
“This project, aimed at improving energy efficiency, saw the replacement of outdated lighting systems with modern, energy-saving LED technology,” explained Desarae Dolan, supervisor of administration for PUD.
Similarly, Hauser Field, which had been using old, energy-draining stadium-style incandescent lights, underwent a transformation. There, the number of lights was reduced from 114 to 92, and replacement included field lights, bathroom lights, and parking lot lights-with LED fixtures, reducing energy consumption by an expected 34,500 kWh annually.
“This upgrade not only saves energy, but also lowers operational costs for the town,” said Dolan.
Town Manager Michael Wood noted that the upgrade will result in roughly half of the current usage, and is expected to save the town roughly $6,300 in energy costs and $2,000 in maintenance annually.
“Functionally, the new lights are higher output but more directional, so they can be redirected in needed,” Wood said.
Wood noted that the new lights are also programmable, and come with a three year warranty for labor and a ten year warranty for fixtures.
Officials have wanted to convert the lights at the athletic complex for years, but installation was estimated at $183,000, making the project too costly in light of other priorities in the past.
“I’ve been wanting to revamp the lights at Hauser Field since I started working here,” Dolan said.
But then at the start of the year, the state launched the Public School Lighting Accelerator Program as part of OER’s Lead by Example program. The program provides technical assistance, procurement support, implementation oversight, and financial incentives to public schools to accelerate the transition to LEDs, with the aim of reducing public sector carbon footprints, supporting clean energy jobs, and improving the quality of lighting in classrooms.
According to proponents, the statewide program will increase the comfort of Rhode Island schools and help communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions, consistent with the Rhode Island 2021 Act on Climate.
Wood noted that the Burrillville project was fully funded through the OER program, with no town match required. And PUD has contributed $33,400 in rebates.
Players and fans that visit the four fields at Hauser will undoubtedly notice the change – and leagues will definitely appreciate the decrease in costs. The facility is used by teams including Burrillville Girls Softball, RI Raptors Softball and Burrillville Patriots Youth Football and Cheer.
Josh Razee, who served as president of the Patriots program for six years and is now on the board of the Raptors and Burrillville Girls Softball, noted the current cost to use the facility is $100 per field per night.
“It is an outrageous amount for youth teams to pay,” Razee told NRI NOW.
“The new efficient LED lights are amazing,” Razee said in a post on social media, noting players will appreciate the upgrade for years to come.
Dolan noted that she was excited to be able to work on the project.
“As a local utility, we’re proud to be part of projects like this that not only help our schools but also make a real difference in energy savings for the entire community,” she said. “Working together with the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources and the town of Burrillville, we’re able to improve energy efficiency while reducing costs-something that benefits everyone in the long run.”
Wish the Burrillville School System, the Town government and especially Pascoag Utility District would’ve followed the 5-basic principles of responsible outdoor lighting at night policies produced by Darksky.org (https://darksky.org/), Design Light Consortium (https://designlights.org/news-events/news/webinar-series-responsible-lighting-at-night/) and all of which is fully supported by the Illumination Engineers Society (https://www.ies.org/). Instead over all the years PUD has installed lighting throughout the community, it is mostly harsh, glarey, overly bright, blue-rich white light that in many instances is poorly aimed and unshielded. Many lessons to be learned in this community with respect to responsible lighting outdoors at night. Please treat the night as a resource, chores dark sky compliant fixtures and during future retrofits or replacements of aging LED fixtures choose wisely. Remember an electrician is not a lighting designer. Better lights for better nights, stars up/lights down, light to protect the night. #ROLAN. Peace!