AEP Ohio’s Area Lighting Program

FAQS

What is AEP Ohio’s area lighting program?

Since early 2019, AEP Ohio has completed a series of pilot projects to test the capabilities of LED street lights that are enabled with smart nodes. In December 2021, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) approved a 5-year replacement plan for approximately 235,000 street and area lights across the AEP Ohio territory.

Why are current lights being replaced?

Current lights are being replaced with energy-efficient, LED lights with smart nodes to provide energy and cost savings to customers.

Will the new area lights be LED?

Yes, new area lights will be new LED fixtures with a smart node.

What are the benefits of LED lights?

Benefits of LED lighting include:

• Lower energy costs up to 60%
• Reduced carbon output
• Longer lasting lights
• Better quality white light with less glare

What is the benefit of a smart node on the LED?

Combining the LED lights with smart nodes and a management system provides significant saving potentials such as metered energy billing (instead of estimated energy billing).

Also, smart lighting – which detects and sends real-time notifications about possible issues – prompts quicker maintenance.

How will this area lighting program affect my bill?

The PUCO approved and enacted a new tariff on December 1, 2021. All area lights will be billed under one Ohio Power Company rate schedule.

Will my bill go up?

It depends. Area light accounts will be billed for kWh consumption on a per fixture, per month basis. Billing will vary in amount according to the hours the light is in operation per month, and vary during the winter and summer hours of daylight. Customers on the new area light tariff will no longer be billed a facility charge every month for non-standard length services, or for additional facilities that were installed for their requested area light installation.

When will the area lights in my area be replaced?

AEP Ohio is working on a schedule and expects installations to begin in early 2023. We will communicate with customers when we know more.

What is the process to replace the lights?

Existing AEP Ohio-owned light fixtures associated with current accounts will be removed and replaced with LED smart-controlled light fixtures. The new LED fixture’s size, light pattern, and light output level will be selected to meet or exceed the previous fixtures’ performance, and will do so while using less energy.