Intencity Lighting Frequently Asked Questions

How much electricity does this lighting actually save?

Savings depend upon what lighting you replace and your electricity cost.

IntenCity-1 is intended for 100 watt HPS replacement, for which it will save 50% on your present bill. IntenCity uses about 75 watts, and a 100W HPS uses about 130 with ballast.

You will save two-thirds (2/3) when replacing a 150+30 watt lamp+ballast. Given this comparison, at 10¢ per kWh, each IntenCity streetlight will save $400 in ten years for energy alone.
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Are these maintenance savings real?

Absolutely. Given a flat $30 per year maintenance allotment per conventional lamp, IntenCity saves $300 in ten years. However, this figure is low according to the experience of some utility providers that lease and maintain streetlights. It's a matter of averaging over the product lifespan.

Municipality accounting for this maintenance often comes from three or more budgets: materials, labor, equipment, etc. Unless there is some tracking to associate streetlight call-outs and general maintenance, calculations of savings are difficult.

A single replacement HPS ballast costs more than the entire fixture, and the labor and capital equipment to replace that ballast (typically $220) must be accounted for. That conventional lighting fixture isn't nearly as economical as you thought when you track the maintenance parts and labor.
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I want the savings benefit now but how can I afford it?

Lease. We have custom and municipal lease programs that provide immediate savings, even in the first year of installation! The monthly payment can be less than the amount you've been spending on maintenance and electricity, so this type contract will provide the streetlights and put money back in the bank, all from the reduction of what you currently pay in combined energy and maintenance costs for streetlights.

Email or call Tom Fake george@intencitylighting.com (518) 895-2830 for more information about leasing and performance contracts.
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What's the advantage to an internal photocell?

Maintenance. Typical photocells are rated for about enough cycles to last through two bulbs. Many utility providers and some agencies replace the photocell whenever they replace the bulb, so they won't have a call-out for a 7 dollar part.

Conventional photocells are on top of the fixture in a socket, where birds and debris can cause the light to turn on in error, or cause it to fail and not turn on at all. If they leak water, the ballast will fail almost immediately. They're exposed to direct Sunlight each and every day.

IntenCity's photocell is internal, in the shade for better longevity. It's solid-state, voltage independent, and rated for hundreds of thousands of hours and millions of cycles of operation.

Upgrade to long-life lighting, and don't diminish that reliability with an obsolete control.
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How can we try these in our application?

We have a form for a standard demonstration program, and will provide a quantity of demo units for trial. No risk on the part of the user other than installation/removal of the demo; if you don't like, give them back. Call or write Tom Fake (518) 895-2830 for more details on this program.
IntenCity Lighting, Inc. P.O. Box 487 Dardanelle, AR 72834
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How can these LED lights replace higher lumen devices?

Controlled directional emission and elimination of the "hot spot"

Bulb type light fixtures may be about 60% efficient in getting all that light to the target, meaning that 40% of their light is bouncing around trying to get out of the fixture when the bulb itself is blocking the opening. IntenCity is more than 80% efficient getting its light to the target. The 75 Watt LED streetlight is able to provide 3-times more footcandles on the ground per Lumen generated than conventional bulb fixtures.

That "hot spot" produced by HID lighting is eliminated with the IntenCity Luminaire, in part for Dark Skies compliance, but mostly because it is an unnecessary waste of energy. Typically 1/3 of the HID light production is focused downward and creates 4 to 5 times higher brightness there, rather than spreading that energy outward.

In addition, some communities use a multiplier due to customized color temperature. In that regard, when luminance is about 1 cd/M² (near scotopic) IntenCity provides similar night vision effectiveness as a HPS bulb of approximately 6,000 lm. The Human eye can see better at night when the lighting color is weighted higher in the blue-green part of the spectrum. Studies have shown this for many years, but lighting of this quality has been way too costly for large area outdoor lighting, until now.

IntenCity will never replace all lighting, but its color quality makes it a very good solution for night visibility. And a more blue light source reduces the brightness needed at night.
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What standards or industrial norms apply to this product?

Conforms:
UL-1012 in breakdown voltages for electric shock
UL-1446 insulated flame retardant construction
NEC (National Electrical Code) for fusing, insulation and safety
NEMA voltage transient protection
IESNA for light distribution types, each independently lab tested to type number
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Will this streetlight have the same burn-out failures as some of the LED traffic signals?

No. Most LED traffic signals use LED technology that's over 20 years old, which doesn't provide for sufficient thermal management in the density required.

Traffic signals operate at their highest current during the hottest times of the day. Streetlights operate for only half the hours any day, during the cooler nighttime temperatures.

Also, IntenCity uses the entire fixture for LED cooling, and while its housing may feel hot to the touch, lab tests have shown its LEDs run cooler than any other LED streetlight in the industry.
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Do electric utility providers have rebates or funding assistance?

Some utility providers are working toward this. We have provided technical data to several utilities now studying consumption and payback characteristics. LED streetlights will reduce the nighttime peak demand, and that may lessen their need for adding distribution lines in some locations. Contact your utility provider with a proposal of quantity and find out which locations they may offer a rebate.
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Is this lighting suitable for use in commercial parking areas?

Yes. IntenCity exceeds the color rendition lighting quality of most conventional streetlight bulbs. Parking areas with broad color ranges of vehicles, store fronts and patron clothing are an ideal application, and its high CRI and ground footcandle per watt ratio cannot be matched.
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Is this lighting suitable for use around high wind coastal areas?

Yes. IntenCity has the lowest EPA (Effective Projected Area) of any outdoor luminaire. This luminaire has been wind tunnel tested to 150 MPH and it may be anticipated that if the pole withstands the wind, the luminaire will be there when the power is restored. See wind tunnel test videos here.
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How long is the warranty ?

IntenCity has standard 5 year warranty provisions against failure due to workmanship, defective components, and luminance degradation of more than 30%. All units undergo continuous elevated temperature burn-in for a sufficient period to detect component infant mortality.
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