May 2008:

Pedernales Electric Coop Lightning Retrofit (Austin area): An Article

    This article chronicles the process of getting outside lighting changed from an energy wasting, glare producing lighting design to full cut off standard.  I have to admit, this may not have happened at all had the timing be different.  Pedernales Electric Coop has been in the press plenty lately, and none of it has had a favorable scent to it. 

    PEC was very cooperative with my suggestions, and although slow at getting things done, they were done.  Generally dealing with PEC is a bureaucratic nightmare, so the unfavorable press may have spurred their legal department into responding with a bit more cooperation than usual.

    Pedernales Electric Coop has been expanding both their service area and their customer numbers.  They are the largest electric coop in the U. S. With some 220,000 electric customers.  As part of their service expansion, a new office building and equipment yard was constructed across the street from my semi rural residence just outside the Austin city limit.  As construction came to completion and the lighting went in, it became obvious the architect never got the word about efficient full cut off lighting.  Old style early 1900's street lamps with funnel cone globes hanging down from a cone rain cap were installed to light their parking lot all night.  Wall pack lighting was installed around the outside walls of the next door warehouse, throwing light horizontally in all directions away from the building, ostensibly for security, and these were also on a dusk to dawn light sensor.  Finally, the equipment yard for the warehouse was to be ringed with floodlights facing inward from the perimeter on 20 foot lighting masts.

    Our property has a duplex and small next door home and is directly across the street from PEC.  Our lot is one of many commercial lots with mixed residences and businesses that back up to a large rural subdivision.  First I was careful to put all my requests in writing.  I noted with some humor, that PEC's responses were never in writing, even when I insisted that this be followed.  Their answers were invariably by phone, and I never had the audacity to record the conversations.  My first request was dated June of 2007 outlining our concerns that the lighting in place was wasteful, unsafe for motorists dealing with the glare of floodlights (their warehouse sits just 60 feet and uphill from the roadway), and was considered light trespass.  I also ended the letter with concrete suggestions for improving the lighting and referencing the new fire station just down the street that installed full cut off lighting in it's parking lot.  I also sent Trey a copy of the Austin lighting code requiring all new construction to be full cut off lighting, even though PEC is just beyond Austin's city limit.

    From this letter, Trey Grebe, the regional manager, got back with me in September by phone and promised to have the lights turned out until a better solution could be installed.  He was agreeable with my suggestions, but would not agree to a timetable for retrofit, saying it should be completed in three or four weeks.  It was a long time before any changes in lighting took place, but eventually the parking lot lights were hooded with full cut off hoods.  The wall packs were also hooded, which didn't do much, and after further discussion, Trey decided to swap out the pack lights for full cut off alternatives.  We waited and waited, and finally sent another letter in Feb. 2008, reminding Trey of our agreement.  The pack lights were finally replaced with full cut off lights in March of 2008 along with full cut off replacements for the perimeter flood lights.  I am pleased with the results of both of these retrofits.  I would still like to see lower wattage alternatives used and the office parking lot lights turned out after 10 PM, but I can't complain too much with the result.

    Much has been won with simple logic and concrete suggestions.  I was concerned when I started this, as the neighborhood association here is almost nonexistent and holds no real power to enforce standards on their own residents let alone a commercial establishment outside their boundary.  That put me on my own, except for encouragement from Benjamin Jones of IDA.  I was anxious that PEC could simply ignore me and there would be little I could do about it.  This could have turned out badly, had the political climate for PEC been different, so I am counting my lucky stars, at least the few I can still see!

    I have included a set of photos showing the original lighting fixtures and the replacement fixtures as well as the before and after retrofit night lighting effect using the same exposure in each case.

Stephen Bosbach,   Austin Astronomical Society

Here are the pictures that Steve took:

                            After the Retrofit                                                                                                                                Before the Retrofit

April 2008:

Fort Bend County and Brazoria County Lighting Resource Page

Friends and staff members of the George Observatory are continuing to preserve their night skies. Their website, run by Phil Inderwiesen, provides information on outdoor lighting to citizens of Fort Bend and Brazoria Counties including the latest information regarding who is and is not protecting their rights to responsible outdoor lighting, the status of their outdoor light ordinances, and what they can do to help protect their night environment. If you live in this area, please check out the website. http://www.tovinder.net/lighting/light_ord.htm

Marfa lights ... 90% out!