Small changes to a community or municipality’s energy use can have a big impact over time. Sometimes, these positive changes even come streetlight by streetlight.

After Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017, municipalities throughout Puerto Rico made a strategic decision to use the storm's devastation as an opportunity to upgrade their infrastructure with energy-saving solutions. Specifically, they began replacing outdated HID and incandescent fixtures with LED streetlights.

To support this new investment, municipal planners also upgraded outdated thermal photocontrols, which are more likely to fail when paired with LED fixtures, with robust LED-friendly electronic photocontrol solutions from Intermatic.

In total, utility partners across the territory have installed over 150,000 new Intermatic electronic photocontrols, greatly reducing energy usage and long-term maintenance needs.

Related: Say Goodnight to LED Photocontrol Maintenance (sell sheet)

In a similar effort, municipal planners across Guatemala led the installation of more than 40,000 electronic photocontrols as part of an infrastructure redevelopment project over the past several years. Although both projects required an upfront investment, the reliability and performance of LED-specific photocontrols will help drive long-term cost savings in both regions.

How is this possible?

Thermal photocontrols are designed to match the 3- to 5-year lifespan of HID and incandescent fixtures, whereas LED light fixtures typically operate for 8 to 15 years. When paired together, operators will likely need to replace the thermal photocontrol two or more times during the lifespan of the fixture, which adds to maintenance costs.

Alternatively, Intermatic electronic photocontrols are designed, tested, and warrantied to match the long lifespan of LED fixtures. This results in fewer maintenance visits to the fixture and lower long-term costs. Electronic photocontrols are also backward compatible with all traditional light sources (e.g., HID, Incandescent) and compatible with all service voltages (105-305 VAC, 347-480 VAC). It’s a win-win pairing that will help streetlights perform as intended over the long haul.

Intermatic continues to support the lighting control needs of developing countries, especially those working on the transition to LED fixtures. We currently have a presence in over 35 countries, including many countries throughout Central and South America.

If you’re planning an LED conversion project, domestically or abroad, connect with our team for tips on how to incorporate reliable electronic photocontrols that add lasting value and are specifically designed to support LED.