Energy Policy Act of 2005 - Traffic Signal and Pedestrian Modules

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58) facilitates the deployment of light emitting diode (LED) traffic signal and pedestrian modules for the purpose of energy conservation. Summary points of the legislation include:

• The legislative provisions went into effect on January 1, 2006, and applies specifically to manufacturers;
• The legislation requires that signal modules manufactured or imported after January 1, 2006, must meet or exceed the energy efficiency requirements specified in the legislation;
• The legislation adopts the energy efficiency criteria in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program for traffic signal and pedestrian modules, (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=bulk_purchasing.bus_purchasing) which in turn reference the ITE “Interim LED Purchase Specification, Vehicle Traffic Control Signal Heads, Part 2: Light Emitting Diode (LED) Vehicle Traffic Signal Modules” (VTCSH Part 2);
• The legislation does not impact existing stock of product on hand by either suppliers or agencies if that stock was manufactured or imported prior to January 1, 2006; and
• Replacement parts are not covered by the legislation

The implications for public agencies are:

• The legislation does not require agencies to retrofit their traffic signals;
• Many agencies are actively converting to LED signal modules, primarily to reduce energy costs (based on survey information from AASHTO and ITE);
• The upfront capital cost of funding the conversion appears to be the most significant hurdle;
• There do not appear to be any significant technical issues;
• Replacement parts for incandescent traffic signal modules should be available initially but may diminish over time;
• The Department of Energy issued a final rule in the Federal Register on October 18, 2005, adopting the legislated standards; and
• The Department of Energy expects to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in Spring 2006 covering test procedures and other administrative matters.

To obtain further information on the legislation:

• FHWA is sponsoring a NTOC web cast on February 23, 2006 on the implications of the 2005 Energy Policy Act on Owners and Operators of Traffic and Pedestrian Signals (http://www.ntoctalks.com/web_casts.php).
• ITE, AASHTO and APWA will provide information to its members as it becomes available, particularly regarding the upcoming NPRM
• ITE will sponsor a discussion forum on the legislative requirements and implications as part of the 2006 Technical Conference and Annual Meeting. For meeting information, refer to the ITE web site at http://www.ite.org/.

Sources:

• http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/energy_pdfs_2.htm
• http://www.floridasectionite.org/Announcements/LED_signals_only.pdf