Contact Information
Jo Dee Black
Public Relations Specialist
Upgrading Montana's streetlights
We replaced streetlights and yard lights across the state with energy-efficient LED lights.
Montana's LED street and yard lighting project
43,000
NorthWestern-owned streetlights replaced
30,000
yard lights replaced
2024
Project completion date
What are the benefits of LED streetlights?
- Less energy - LEDs use 50% less electricity than traditional high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights.
- Reduced Light Pollution - NorthWestern offers a full range of dark-sky-friendly LED options. With LEDs, the light can be better directed to where it is needed – on the street and adjacent sidewalks.
- Improved visibility - Old HPS lighting produced an orange-yellow light that does not render colors well. LEDs, on the other hand, output a fuller light spectrum that renders colors accurately.
- Lower operation costs - LEDs require less energy, and, because they are more efficient, they also last longer and need to be replaced less often than HPS streetlights.
- Improved safety and security - The new lights give increased safety at night through greater visibility and fewer streetlight outages.
Dark-Sky-Friendly Street Lights
Dark-Sky-Friendly Street Lights
Wherever possible, we used lights that are dark sky compliant, and the vast majority of the new LED lights are dark-sky compliant. They also meet any local lighting ordinances. For more information on dark sky standards, click the button below.
Recycling Old Streetlights
Recycling Old Streetlights
NorthWestern recycled the old high-pressure sodium lights through Four Corners Recycling in Bozeman. Four Corners recycled all parts of the old lights, including the metal heads, the glass lenses and the bulbs, some of which contain mercury.
For more information about the project, please contact: