BURLINGTON, N.C. — About a year ago, people started seeing purple street lights pop up all over the Triad. Now, more than a year later, we are still seeing some of these purple lights.
WFMY News 2 reached out to Duke Energy to get an update on the efforts to repair the lights.
Duke Energy Spokesperson, Jeff Brooks, told WFMY the lights are purple because the laminate put on the light to make it white, has worn off. It’s a factory malfunction but they aren’t dangerous.
“It still functions, it’s still safe, it still puts out the same amount of light, it’s just really purple,” Brooks said.
The lights are still under warranty so the manufacturer is paying to change them.
The best way to help fix this problem is to report it to Duke Energy (800.777.9898) when you see a purple light, that way, crews will be able to repair them within a couple days.
Brooks said a lot of customers have given positive responses about the lights, saying they like them.
“The funny thing is when people see them, a lot of people like them, and they have even asked us, ‘hey, can you provide us other colors,’ and we do not have that option right now," he said. "The purple happens because the coating actually is what makes it look white like you see on a normal case. As that coating wears off, it returns to what is actually the color underneath."
When the energy company first received reports of the malfunction, around 5,000 lights were impacted. Since then, several thousand have popped up.
Brooks said when the laminate wears off, you see a purple color. It starts out lavender and the more it wears off, the deeper the color gets.
“You may see them in batches, and that’s because they were installed around the same time and it’s really only affecting one particular batch that we received a couple of years ago and it’s mostly concentrated in Central and Western North Carolina,” he said.
Duke Energy maintains around 900,000 street lights in the Carolinas, and Brooks said as of right now, the purple lights affect less than 1% of those. So if you see one, consider yourself lucky, but make sure you report it.
“It is a pretty unique thing; think of it as the special Easter egg in the bunch,” he said.
Need a street light in your area repaired? Head over to Duke Energy’s website to file a report.
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