Light & Power swaps LED fixtures in 80% of street lights

Beginning in Fall 2020, Saskatoon Light & Power (SL&P) started a project to replace more than 17,000 of its current high-pressure sodium (HPS) street light fixtures with light-emitting diode (LED) technology in residential neighbourhoods, commercial areas and along major streets. The two-year project will cost $6.12 million with forty per cent of the cost paid for by the Federal Government’s Low Carbon Economy Fund. 

“The Government of Canada is committed to supporting Saskatchewanians in rebuilding from the pandemic, creating jobs and building more resilient communities”, says the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “Today, our government is investing over $2.4M to help the City of Saskatoon install more than 17,000 LED lightbulbs in existing streetlights. Doing so will create jobs for the people of Saskatoon, reduce pollution and make our air cleaner. We are pleased to partner with Mayor Clark in this endeavor.”

Over the lifetime of this project, the City will see a cumulative reduction of about 114,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent to removing approximately 35,000 passenger cars off the road for one year.

“There is a real opportunity to make changes in Saskatoon that will benefit residents, businesses and future generations by working to build a resilient and sustainable community. The LED streetlight conversion project is a concrete example of an initiative that reduces emissions, saves money and creates jobs—and this is only one of the many possibilities that exists as we tackle climate change” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “My thanks to the federal government for helping to make this initiative a reality in our community so we can see all of these benefits more quickly.”

The remaining $3.7 million will be covered by a green loan that would be paid back by cost savings, which are estimated at $849,000 a year once all the fixtures are replaced.

“Saskatoon Light and Power is excited to begin the LED conversion project, which is one of the goals set out in the Low Emissions Community Plan to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced in Saskatoon. To date, approximately five thousand LED fixtures have been installed under this program in neighbourhoods and roads served by Saskatoon Light & Power,” says Trevor Bell, Director of Saskatoon Light & Power.

As work commences, residents throughout Saskatoon will notice SL&P’s “What’s the Bright Idea” campaign, which aims to inform the importance of LED fixtures for the community, including:

• 60% less energy used;
• Dark sky compliance;
• Reduced maintenance costs;
• 100,000 hours of light; and
• Increased lifespan.

The lights that are not addressed in the program include decorative lights downtown, lights along freeways, in pedestrian tunnels, under overpasses and floodlights.

Quick facts

• The City of Saskatoon is installing LED technology on all new street and pathway lighting.
• The LED fixtures use less energy than the existing HPS and metal halide fixtures.

Associated links

• Low Carbon Economy Fund
• Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
• Canada’s strengthened climate plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy

For more information on the project, visit: saskatoon.ca/slp.

For more City of Saskatoon news, program information, Service Alerts, Traffic Detours, and links to our social media channels, please visit saskatoon.ca.