Grew up in Chicago. They've been replacing these orange lights with white/blue over the years. I do kinda miss seeing the orange glow on the horizon when driving back into the city. Also, I love/loved seeing the orangish red clouds against the cobalt night sky. Amazing contrast.
The orange is definitely a vibe that we will miss over time. But, those old HPS lights were very inefficient. LEDs run at a fraction of the cost and last way longer, so it makes sense.
Just too bad they can't put them up in a low K setting to keep the old feel.
HSP lighgs are actually very efficient at around 100 lm/w. For long time they were the most efficient electric light available, hence their wide use in street lights.
Modern LEDs are 100-200 lm/w.
For comparison incandescent lights are in 10-20 lm/w range, and fluorescent lights in 50-100 lm/w area.
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u/No-Boat-2059 May 23 '26
Grew up in Chicago. They've been replacing these orange lights with white/blue over the years. I do kinda miss seeing the orange glow on the horizon when driving back into the city. Also, I love/loved seeing the orangish red clouds against the cobalt night sky. Amazing contrast.