how do cities get billed for street light electricty usage?

[OutHouse]

is there a hidden meter someplace for a grid? or does the electric company count how many street lights there are calculate each bulbs wattage then look at the sunrise/sunset charts and charge the city for the hours of darkness??

 

[FoBoT]

probably just a flat fee based on the number of lamp poles
i don't know

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
probably just a flat fee based on the number of lamp poles

Mark this as the answer

 

[OutHouse]

really? thats how they get billed by how many lamp post? does the same go for stop lights?

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Citrix
really? thats how they get billed by how many lamp post? does the same go for stop lights?

Every lamp post has a number.

I'm sure stop lights do to.

 

[imported_weadjust]

You can have a street light installed on your property where I live. I think the cost is 12.95 a month for the service.

 

[Eli]

Interesting, I would have figured it was based on kWh just like the rest of us, but deeply discounted.

 

[altonb1]

I work for an energy company, so I'll see if I can find out the definite answer when I'm at work tomorrow.

 

[KMurphy]

There is a feeder to the distribution panel the lights are fed from. The feeder to the entire distribution panel will be metered; not each individual light. The city pays for kWH's used.

 

[Cristatus]

Also something else to consider:

You have multiple telco companies, but when you choose one or the other, they have a direct wire to your house (ok maybe not direct, but approximately direct).
But what about electric companies? How do they set out their wires?

 

[Staples]

San Antonio owns the electric company. So it is probably free for them.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: logic1485
Also something else to consider:

You have multiple telco companies, but when you choose one or the other, they have a direct wire to your house (ok maybe not direct, but approximately direct).
But what about electric companies? How do they set out their wires?

afaik, you only have 1 phone wire and 1 electric wire coming into your house (because multiple ones get multiply expensive and don't need to be there because you only need 1 of each) (and the phone wire actually carries 2 lines).

in 'deregulation' there is a monopoly that owns the local lines. they're still regulated. the company who is your telephone provider or your electric provider leases the lines or is allowed by law to use the transmission lines and you pay the fee directly.

 

[mobobuff]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: logic1485
Also something else to consider:

You have multiple telco companies, but when you choose one or the other, they have a direct wire to your house (ok maybe not direct, but approximately direct).
But what about electric companies? How do they set out their wires?

afaik, you only have 1 phone wire and 1 electric wire coming into your house (because multiple ones get multiply expensive and don't need to be there because you only need 1 of each) (and the phone wire actually carries 2 lines).

in 'deregulation' there is a monopoly that owns the local lines. they're still regulated. the company who is your telephone provider or your electric provider leases the lines or is allowed by law to use the transmission lines and you pay the fee directly.

Same with the internet infrastructure. A company owns all of those lines, but doesn't necessarily provide the data.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: weadjust
You can have a street light installed on your property where I live. I think the cost is 12.95 a month for the service.

that is an option with the electric co-op that provides the electricity to my home
for $6 per month, i can have a "yard light" which is the same as a street lamp on the pole in my yard, that feeds electricity to my house

but i moved to the country/BFE to get AWAY from light pollution (among other things) , so i choose not to do that

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: KMurphy
There is a feeder to the distribution panel the lights are fed from. The feeder to the entire distribution panel will be metered; not each individual light. The city pays for kWH's used.

Yep it's pulse monitored.

Some muno's have meters on the intersection j-box. These have been replaced with transponding units so the vans drive by and get the count and amount, etc.

In remote areas where power failures can last for weeks and salt water makes a mess of wiring, outdoor lighting is accomplished with betalamps. Google "traser" for more information.

There was an airport in Alaska that used them for runway lighting for a while! :Q