Descriptions and Terminology

Outdoor lighting descriptions and terminology

What options do customers have when utilizing Xcel Energy owned street lights? 

Leased Rate 
When a customer chooses to lease a street light from Xcel Energy, a pole, fixture (luminaire), mastarm, 100 feet of wire and 10 feet of trenching (if applicable) are included in the lease rate. If the installation requires additional time and materials, the lessee will be charged. The monthly lease rate will be higher than the Pre-Pay option for comparable wattage. 

Available lights

• • Cobra head
  • Traditional
  • Shoebox
  • Rectilinnear 

Descriptions of available lights. 

Pre-Pay 
By paying for all initial material and construction costs, a customer using the pre-pay option will be charged a lower monthly rate than what would be paid in the Leased Rate option for comparable wattage. 

Available Lights

• • Cut off cobra head on fiberglass pole
  • Traditional
  • Shoebox
  • Rectilinear
  • Colonial
  • Acorn
  • Lantern
  • Vernon
  • Evans 

Descriptions of available lights.

What happens if an Xcel Energy owned street light is damaged?

Xcel Energy will make all repairs or replacements to the street lighting system including cables, poles, lamps, luminaires (fixture), and other parts for the life of the street light. The lessee will be responsible for repair costs only if they cause the damage. If the damage is caused by another party, Xcel Energy will make every attempt to collect repair and replacement costs from the responsible party. 

Where can I get electric rate information?

Please see the detailed electric rate information. 

What are some common street light terms? 

Lamp – The complete light source, including the inner parts of the bulb as well as the outer bulb or tube. 

Luminaire – Often referred to as a fixture, a luminaire is a complete lighting unit that consists of a lamp, ballast, and other parts designed to distribute the light and connect to the power supply. 

Customer owned street lighting rates – A customer owned street light system or a street light system installed by a company other than Xcel Energy is considered a ‘customer owned street light system.’ When that is the case, Xcel Energy will only provide maintenance on the system if the street light is one that Xcel Energy has approved and agrees to maintain. The customer owned street light system must have a feed point, which will distinguish the difference between the customer and Xcel Energy systems.