News Release - LED Street Lighting Conversion Project Begins

Work is set to commence this week in the City of Port Alberni on converting over 500 street light bulbs from high-pressure sodium (HPS) to high-efficiency light emitting diodes (LED). The project is being undertaken to reduce maintenance and energy costs and improve visibility.

Over the next month, 525 streetlights will be converted in neighbourhoods across Port Alberni. This represents about one-third of the total streetlights in the city, with the remainder being owned by BC Hydro.  The conversion project is focused only on the City-owned metal poles. Replacement of the streetlights on the wooden BC Hydro poles has not been announced; however, the utility company is currently undertaking a pilot project in Richmond to test different light models.

Once completed, the high efficiency and increased life expectancy of the new lights is projected to result in approximately $45,000 in annual savings for the City and a reduction of about 18 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  

The project was approved by City Council during last year’s financial planning process with an allocation of $150,000 from the City’s Carbon Fund, a reserve fund established for new GHG reduction initiatives. This amount was leveraged with an additional $48,000 in grant funding from BC Hydro.

“I am very much looking forward to the savings this project will generate for the City,” said Councillor Chris Alemany, a member of the City’s Food Security and Climate Disruption Committee. “Reduced electricity use and maintenance will help cut both costs and carbon emissions”.     

In addition to the significant cost savings, the new LED lights will enhance visibility while reducing the amount of “spilled” or wasted light.  Colour temperatures being utilized by the City are consistent with other major municipalities around the world, meaning that exposure to blue light will be limited.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Wilf Taekema, Manager of Operations
City of Port Alberni
250-720-2845
wilf_taekema@portalberni.ca