Tag Archives: winter

When Green Doesn’t work – LED Lights in Green Bay



So we had this pretty big snowstorm pass through the Midwest. Over a foot of snow, added to a  plethora of horrible conditions. But one forseen issue happened that simply came from making the planet greener.

Light Emitting Diodes.

Green Bay WI put in some high – efficiency LED traffic lights throughout the town. The idea was straightforward. Save on electricity, save on bulb replacement and use the money in other places. Great plan… except for the unforseen snow….

What happened was the LED bulbs did not produce enough heat to melt the snow and ice off. The snow blew up into the light and the protective cover did just that – protected the snow and blocked drivers from seeing the lights.

West Bend, WI had the same problem. However, this was the first time in 7 years that it caused concern and an accident. The city created a special scraper to clean the lens. There is a special cover that heats up in cold weather to melt ice, but it’s simply too expensive.

Since this is the first time since installation, there is not a big concern over it. City officials simply tell people to be careful if the light is covered in snow.