The Phoenix City Council will award a contract for new LED lights to Ameresco at a lower temperature of light after community concerns were raised.
Earlier this year Phoenix began looking into upgrading the street lights to 4000 Kelvin color temperature LED lights. There was a petition going around the public to make the lights to 2700 Kelvin colored lights instead.
The difference between the color temperature of the lights is significant because the 4000 Kelvin lights are known to project what appears to be a blue light. Sean Sweat, the president of the Urban Phoenix Project, said this can mess with a person’s sleep rhythm.
Sweat was actively involved in the petition for the change and replacements of 4000 Kelvin to 2700 Kelvin lights. Sweat said he was delighted the city decided to change the lights to the 2700 Kelvin and replace the lights that were 4000 Kelvin.
Some residents are concerned the replacement of regular street lights to the upgraded version of LED lights will possibly create health risks while the city is awarding a contract to Ameresco to further the progression of the transition.
“Getting the 2700 Kelvin approved by the council is amazing, and I’m really happy about it,” Sweat said. “It was something that needed to happen.”
Ameresco was unavailable to speak about the LED light changes and possible new infrastructure in the city.
Steve Dreiseszun, vice chair of the Downtown Voices Coalition and commercial photographer for 35 years, said he noticed the negative impacts this kind of light can have.
“The brain makes a transition with different colors of light. Our body clocks are not reset if it’s exposed to a colder light all the time,” Dreiseszun said about what would happen if citizens were constantly exposed to 4000 Kelvin colored street lights.
When the concerns of the colder LED lights were brought up by Nicole Rodriguez at the DVC, it attracted Dreiseszun to be more involved in the topic.
“As a commercial photographer, it is not attractive,” Dreiseszun said. “I felt the lights were cold, surgical, unappetizing and unappealing.”
Dreiseszun said he was delighted by the approval of the 2700 Kelvin by the city council, though he said there are still things to be aware of and improve.
“I’m pleased that the choice of color temperature is the right one, but we still need to make sure that the light intensity and the overall glare is not overpowering, even with that temperature,” Dreiseszun said.
Contact the reporter at Suelen.Rivera@asu.edu.
