Throughout Canadian cities, street lights have evolved very little since the advent of electricity… This is odd given the rising energy costs, economic restrictions and climate changes disrupting our planet. Reviewing lighting options should now be a top priority for city councils everywhere! But how do we counter or at least help reduce some of these pressing economic and environmental issues? Canadian cities can reduce cost locally: by upgrading to LED street lighting.
Did you know that 50% of energy costs are allocated to street lighting? Yet, two simple actions could reduce the cost of lighting our streets by up to 75%:
- First, replace all bulbs used in traditional streetlights with LED lights. This will reduce municipal energy consumption by up to 50%.
- Second, combine your new lighting method with a remote control system for the streetlights. This could allow you to reduce your municipality’s energy consumption by up to 75%! That is in addition to the savings on maintenance that LED street lights will help generate… since you will most likely only need to change the bulbs every 17 years!Our project for Skyline in Ottawa is a good example.
A few examples of LED street lighting to follow
In August 2014, local daily The Times ran a story reporting that the city of Ottawa, Illinois, had managed to reduce its electricity expenses from $590 to $150 for a three-month period by replacing traditional halogen bulbs with LED ones on the street lights of two of its main arteries. This represents cost savings of almost 75%!
In July 2014, the city of Calgary announced it was replacing traditional light bulbs in the street lights of five of its communities with energy-efficient LED ones (2,500 fixtures). This environmental investment would reduce the city’s energy bill by 55%.
More Money Locally
Improving a municipality’s energy efficiency reduces taxpayers’ contributions, which also impacts the cost of living. People have more money to spend locally. It’s a win-win situation!
