LARL’s Response to Tariff with Westar

Lawrence Association for Responsible Lighting

January 25, 2018

by Reid Nelson

            The tariff between the city and Westar presents no obstacle to implementing a change to the 3,000K streetlight option.

A.  Background:  At the January 19, 2018, meeting between Westar, the City, and members of LARL, Westar indicated that if the city desired the 3,000K streetlight fixture, Westar would provide it.  However, it indicated the possibility that this fixture may be charged it as a “nonstandard fixture” under the existing tariff.  The implication was that there could be some sort of cost obstacle involved.

B.  The reasons that the tariff will not impede a change to 3,000K streetlight fixtures are numerous.

            The current streetlight tariff with Westar has no term and can be renegotiated.  Further, the City may be looking into renegotiating the tariff with Westar, so that Westar can —and  should—begin passing along some of the long-term savings from its LED project.  For many cities those savings can typically amount to hundreds of thousands dollars annually.  A small portion of that would easily offset any small incremental costs associated with merely using LED fixtures of a different color temperature.  Since the 3,000K fixture is widely available to Westar, with similar costs and efficiencies as the 4,000K fixtures, there is little doubt that this will be easily resolved by the City and Westar.

            Even under the current tariff there would not be an extra charge for this item.  On page 3, nonstandard fixtures are charged extra only if there are extra “costs of installation.”  It should cost the same to install one type of fixture as another.  There is nothing different, complex, or costly about installation of the 3,000K fixture.

            And finally, the 3,000K fixture does not appear to be a nonstandard item even under the current tariff.  The definitions are somewhat murky, but it probably fits under the definition of a standard fixture.  (Standard fixtures are defined in the tariff by wattage and voltage, which a replacement 3,000K will probably comply with.).