Pathway Lights Get an Efficient Makeover

A long-awaited project to upgrade campus street and pathway lighting was completed this summer. More than 2,000 of the familiar lantern-style fixtures were upgraded with new energy-efficient lamps, frosted glass lenses, and spiffy new “hats.” Thanks to a custom LED retrofit kit developed for Stanford, the upgraded post-top fixtures will maintain the residential character of the campus at night with a warm white glow that has better light distribution and color rendering, all while using half as much electricity as before.

It took patience and perseverance to find a product that would meet Stanford’s stringent aesthetic, performance, and cost requirements. The University Architect/Campus Planning & Design office directed extensive field testing of several efficient technologies to narrow the field to two acceptable options: one LED and one ceramic metal halide. The two options were then subjected to a rigorous life cycle cost analysis to determine which would be the better long-term solution for Stanford. The LED option was ultimately selected because, while requiring a greater up-front investment, it would pay for itself with energy and maintenance cost savings well before the end of its 20-year expected life.