LED Street Light Replacement Guide - Upgrading Old Sodium and CFL Lights

Yes, in most cases. GI and MS poles in good condition (no significant rust, plumb, sound foundation) can be reused with new LED luminaires. Check: pole height is appropriate for the road width and new LED's lux requirement. The arm diameter is compatible with the new LED fitting's slip-fitter size. No significant section loss from corrosion (probe any suspicious rust spots - if the probe penetrates more than 20% of wall thickness, replace the pole).

For a skilled 2-person team: 20–30 minutes per pole for a simple arm-mounted replacement (remove old fitting, install LED, reconnect, test). 45–60 minutes if the arm needs to be replaced or if the wiring needs significant rework. A team of 2 can typically complete 10–15 replacements per day on accessible 5–6m poles. For higher poles (9m+) requiring a bucket truck: 45–60 minutes per pole, 6–8 poles per day per team.

For an existing metered street light connection: inform MSEDCL of the load reduction (old wattage vs new LED wattage). This is required to recalculate the maximum demand and may reduce the sanctioned load charges on the municipal electricity bill. For unmetered flat-rate street light connections (common in Maharashtra): MSEDCL calculates the flat rate based on declared wattage - inform MSEDCL of the upgrade to get the reduced flat rate applied.