Wasted Energy

(and the Air Pollution it Creates)

Lighting up the sky at night cost the US consumers about $2.2 Billion every year.  The coal burned to light up the night sky produces about 14.7 Million TONS of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) every year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To bring that down to a local level, the coal burned to power a single 150 watt HPS streetlight (like the one above) creates

  - 1.24 Tons of CO2 

   - 19 pounds of Sulfur Dioxide SO2

    - 11 pounds of Nitrous Oxide NO, and

    - 25 grams of Mercury

Note that 1 gram of Mercury in a 25 acre lake will render fish in that lake unsafe for human consumption. 

When you multiply the numbers above by the number of unnecessary streetlights, you can determine how much your city or village contributes to air polution.  You can reduce air pollution and save money for your city, by shutting off some streetlights or turning all of them down to a lower wattage after midnight, when the light isn't needed. 

 

Reduce Light Pollution & Save Energy