LED street lights receive glowing reception

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This article was published 09/01/2015 (4135 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Street lights across the entire province of Manitoba will be getting an energy-efficient upgrade over the next several years.

The bright idea to convert the existing High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights began with a Manitoba Hydro pilot project in Brandon, Winnipeg, Thompson and Churchill.

“We put the lights up to kind of gauge what it would look like, if we’d get any feedback from customers, if we’d experience any problems putting the lights into our system,” said Sam Fay, roadway lighting program co-ordinator with Manitoba Hydro. “So far everything has been pretty well received.”

Over the summer, HPS lights were converted to Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures in three areas of Brandon — Queens Avenue East in the Green Acres neighbourhood, 18th Street near the Keystone Centre and the residential area of Durum Drive and Prairie Crescent.

“It’s a good, random sample of streets,” said Rod Sage, general manager of operations with the City of Brandon. “We tried to pick streets that had different wattage of lights.”

After several months with the new lights, Sage said the city is pleased with the change.

“From what I’ve seen, the illumination levels seem to be very comparable, if not better,” he said, adding there haven’t been any questions or concerns coming from residents.

Last year, the city’s hydro bill to keep the street lights on was roughly $860,000. This year’s proposed budget calls for $922,000. The increase is due to city expansion — new streets mean new streetlights to pay for, Sage said.

The goal is to eventually see cost-savings after the conversion to LED.

The new LED lights have several benefits over HPS lamps, according to Manitoba Hydro, including a much longer life expectancy and significantly lower energy use.

“Depending on the make of the fixture … they can use anywhere from 40 to 60 per cent less energy than a comparable HPS, so that’s a major benefit,” Fay said.

The existing light bulbs typically need to be replaced every four or five years. The LED fixtures are expected to last 20 to 25 years.

The LED fixtures can handle cold weather, and it is considered an improved quality of light for drivers and pedestrians. The longevity and decreased energy consumption of LED lighting will result in utility bill savings and reduced replacement costs.

“It’s about 10 per cent less than the existing HPS rates right now,” Fay said.

After the successful pilot project, the next step is to roll out the program on a wider scale this year, with a plan to convert all 130,000 street lights in the province over the next four to seven years.

“Basically our plan within the first year is to get started in every major urban centre in the province, so Winnipeg, Brandon, Steinbach, Thompson, Winkler,” Fay said.

This energy-efficient alternative is gaining popularity in centres across Canada, including Calgary, Edmonton and areas in Ontario.

“Nova Scotia is the only province that I am aware of at this time that has gone on the full-scale conversation,” Fay said. “A lot of the other utilities in Canada are only really testing it out in cities … we’ll be sort of at the forefront of Canada at the very least in terms of compete provincial conversion to LED lights.”

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