While the options are in many cases still being tested elsewhere, Hohen Neuendorf is once again headed for the home stretch: Since November, the municipal administration has been retrofitting all street lamps in the city to energy-saving LED technology. More than half of the lamps have already been done. The roadsides in the city are fitted with 3602 street lights, of which 3482 can be converted to state-of-the-art technology. In 3146 cases this simply means fitting another lamp, the term used by technicians to describe a new globe. 336 street lights will be fitted with a completely new lamp head. The remaining 120 street lights are considered to be incapable of being retrofitted and are to be renewed. As regards the surface and number of retrofitted luminaires, Hohen Neuendorf has approached this efficiently and pragmatically, using a method that is exemplary in Germany. Not least for this reason, the city had successfully tendered for acceptance into the Climate Protection Initiative by the Federal Environment Ministry, which provides financial support to the value of 25%.
The new technology saves energy and consequently CO2 and money. Exactly how much, depends on the type of luminaire. Overall, 18 different lamp types have been installed in the urban area in the last decades. Street light "Anja", previously equipped with high-pressure mercury and sodium lamps, determines the street scene. Anja HME (mercury) saves 70% energy, thanks to retrofitting. It is present 1627 times in the street scene. Anja HSE (sodium) appears 492 times. It will consume 64% less energy as a result of the new bulb. Depending on the model, potential savings fluctuate between 64% and 86% of previous consumption values. The average saving is around 70%: At the current price of electricity this equals a saving of around 240,000 Euro each year, and a reduction in kilowatt hours of 1.1 million, compared to the previous 1.6 million, to just under 500,000 kilowatt hours per year. At the same time, the service life of the lamps is significantly higher. The city's expenditure volume of nearly 574,000 Euro is offset by the Federal Environment Ministry's 25% subsidy share, which means a contribution of own resources in the amount of just over 430,000 Euro. A rough calculation shows that this would have been amortised (i.e. paid for itself) in less than 2 years.
The ecological impact of the project not only extends into the city's climate protection concept – species protection also benefits. As this light does not generate any heat radiation and has no UV component, insects are not drawn to it and do not burn. Marlene Dietrich's famous song line "Men cluster to me like moths around a flame" will therefore in future have to be reinterpreted in Hohen Neuendorf by resourceful songwriters. Approximately 4 years ago the municipal administration started testing different lamps, measuring savings and drawing up a profitability analysis. The retrofitting is based on the results of the analysis.
Helecta retrofit lamps are Hohen Neuendorf's first choice (courtesy of the city of Hohen Neuendorf)
Hohen Neuendorf retrofits nearly 3500 street lights to LED technology