Inventory LED Streetlights Using Vehicle-Mounted Cameras

In an increasingly electrified world, planning for energy efficiency and sustainability is paramount. But, maintaining up-to-date records for vast networks of streetlights spanning thousands of miles can be a challenge.

A particular pain point for these operators is better inventory of their Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) compared to more traditional types such as mercury vapor (MV) and sodium vapor lights. 

Keep reading to find out how Noteworthy’s vehicle-mounted solution can serve as a low-cost lighting auditor to help accelerate cost-savings by switching to LEDs. 

‍The Importance of Inventorying LEDs

More and more cities are undergoing initiatives to swap out their old MV and sodium vapor lights to energy-efficient LEDs. In 2023, New York finished replacing 500,000 streetlights with LED fixtures, three years ahead of schedule. In Chicago, the city replaced 280,000 streetlights with LEDs, a project that the city says should save taxpayers $100 million over 10 years.

The energy savings achieved by transitioning to LED streetlights from older technologies can be substantial — some sources report figures as high as 50%. Not only that, but LEDs also offer superior luminous efficacy, meaning they can produce more light per watt of electricity consumed, resulting in even greater energy savings. Plus, their lifespans far exceed that of other bulb types – LEDs often last 50,000 hours, or 14 years if used 10 hours per day, compared to 6.5 years for sodium vapor or 5 years for MV.

Given the obvious benefits of transitioning to LEDs, it becomes increasingly important for municipalities and utilities that are managing public lighting infrastructure to have a clear inventory of their lighting assets. But, what’s the best way to do this without blowing your budget?

Transitioning to LEDs: How Noteworthy Can Help

Noteworthy AI offers a Lighting Intelligence product suite that can help utilities and municipalities audit their lighting infrastructure to better plan for system upgrades. It’s simple: 

1. Noteworthy’s AI-powered camera system, Inspect, mounts non-intrusively on fleet vehicles to automatically detect, geolocate and capture high-resolution imagery of roadway-accessible streetlights as the vehicle drives. No operator intervention required! 

2. These images automatically get passed through additional models that classify light fixtures as LED or non-LED. This data can be exported directly to update your existing GIS software, or be transformed into whatever format you may need for your systems of record. 
3. You now have up-to-date information to plan your upgrades or repairs. 

Start Your LED Inventory Today

By incorporating our vehicle-mounted camera system into their operations, utilities can get an accurate inventory of their street lighting infrastructure, without breaking the bank. This enables efficient planning for energy-efficient upgrades, ultimately saving costs and making roads safer. Embracing this technology is a crucial step toward achieving greater sustainability and operational efficiency in public lighting.

Interested in performing a lighting audit of your streetlight assets? Reach out today to learn more!