LED Streetlight Program

What is changing?

Saanich has approximately 9,000 street lights that use High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps. We are currently in the process of replacing approximately 6,000 of the existing HPS lamps with LEDs on all of our roads.  We have completed all of the higher level Collector and Major roads with LED installations and are now working on the local residential streets. 

See attached bulletin for the most recent information.  LED Conversion Program Bulletin_Sept2019.pdf [PDF - 139 KB]

Why are LED lights a good choice? 

  • Energy efficient LED street lighting provides significant energy savings and a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
  • The replacement of existing HPS roadway lighting with LED roadway lighting throughout the District will result in power consumption savings of approximately 30%. This energy savings will save Saanich approximately 240,000 annually.
  • The LED fixtures also have a longer life span than (HPS) fixtures reducing the need for maintenance.
  • When it comes to disposal, LED lights are better for the environment than HPS lamps.
  • BC Hydro is funding a portion of the costs as part of an energy efficiency incentive program.
  • It is part of our Official Community Plan [PDF - 12.2 MB] to include technological advances (e.g. green infrastructure) where practical and feasible.
  • This initiative supports our Climate Plan [PDF - 31 MB] goal of reducing municipal operations CO2e emissions 50 per cent by 2025.
  • Many jurisdictions world-wide are in the process of replacing HPS street lighting with more efficient LEDs.

 How are the locations and lights chosen?

  • Collector and major roads carry the most travelers so are being upgraded at this time.
  • The LED fixtures were chosen to be relatively equal in brightness (or lumen) output to the HPS lights they are replacing. However, this light is more focused and directed downward which eliminates the halo effect that HPS lights emit. The more focused light may appear more intense to road users.
  • LEDs can vary in colour temperature. In Saanich, we are using lights measuring 3,000 Kelvin (K). This was chosen in accordance to industry and environmental best practices. Higher Kelvin temperatures (3600-5500K) produce cool white tones. For reference, a typical “warm white” lightbulb is about 2,000-3,000K and daylight is 4,600-6,500K.

 

Questions? Please contact engineering@saanich.ca