CAVE JUNCTION — The city is preparing to replace 98 aging streetlights with LED fixtures under an agreement signed Monday with Pacific Power, a project expected to cut Cave Junction’s annual electricity bill by more than the amount it ultimately pays for the conversion.
Mayor Jesse Dugas announced the agreement September 21, placing the estimated $19,780 project before Energy Trust of Oregon for incentive funding. The city expects to receive $17,442.60 in reimbursements, reducing its projected final cost to $2,337.40. The lights selected for replacement include older high-pressure sodium and mercury-vapor fixtures.
“Signing the Pacific Power agreement is the first step,” Dugas said. Pacific Power will submit the project information to Energy Trust, which will prepare a separate agreement covering the incentives. The city’s estimate includes a $9,602.60 base incentive and an additional $7,840 for the 98 fixtures expected to qualify.
The funding arrangement requires Cave Junction to pay the full cost at the outset. The money will come from the Street Improvement Fund, with the Energy Trust reimbursement returned to that fund after the conversion is completed and reviewed. Dugas said the city expects payment approximately four to six weeks after that review.
Whether the final bill matches Monday’s estimate will depend on the work performed and the number of fixtures approved for incentives. If all 98 qualify at the projected amounts, the incentives would cover about 88 percent of the project cost. The city’s remaining share would be roughly $24 per light.
The proposed fixtures will use 3000K lighting, which the city describes as dark-sky-compliant. That color temperature generally produces a warmer appearance than higher-temperature white LEDs. How well the new lights limit glare and light reaching the night sky will also depend on their shielding and installation.
Cave Junction estimates the conversion will save $3,362.64 each year in streetlight electricity costs. Based on the projected city share, that amounts to enough savings to recover its expense within the first year. Actual savings will become clear after the new fixtures are operating and the city has electricity bills to compare.
Pacific Power and Energy Trust have undertaken larger streetlight conversions elsewhere in Oregon. Albany replaced nearly 3,000 lights through a project with the two organizations, and Klamath Falls converted more than 1,900 older lamps. Cave Junction’s proposal would bring the same type of upgrade to nearly 100 lights in the Illinois Valley city, subject to the remaining incentive agreement and completion of the work.
“Based on the current estimates, this is a great opportunity to modernize nearly 100 streetlights and reduce the City’s ongoing expenses at a very small long-term cost,” Dugas said.