PINCOURT LOOKS TO SAVE WITH NEW STREET LIGHTS
These LED street lights on Maple Street in Pincourt are cooler than traditional sodium-based lamps, and cost much less to operate.
The town of Pincourt plans to follow through on the implementation of light emitting diode (LED) street lights through most of its territory in the coming year.
“We are planning to change from sodium lights to LED on two-thirds of our network to reduce cost and improve on visibility at night,” director general Michel Perrier told The Montreal Gazette.
The town had installed LED lights along residential Maple Street this past summer as part of a pilot project and the results proved positive, according to Perrier.
“The LED lights are much clearer than the standard sodium-base lamps, which are providing a more yellowish light. People are noticing the difference as the white lighting makes your view adapt more easily than the older lamps,” he continued. “Following this successful trial, we will go forward with the replacement of almost two-thirds of the territory, where we have in use older sodium-base lamps.”
The long-term energy savings of deploying LED lights should cover the cost of such a project within 10 years.
“Most of the manufacturers now offer a replacement of the units, including the installation, which is financed by the economy generated by the use of LED lamps instead of the older lamps, which can represent close to a 70 per cent cost reduction on our current HydroQuébec bills. So the money saved is used to finance the purchase and installation of the new light system, which can take between seven to 10 years for payback,” Perrier added.
Residents living on Maple Street will be surveyed about the LED lights this week, said Isabel Boulay, Pincourt’s director of infrastructure.
The town’s target of installing LED street lighting in two-thirds of its territory could cost in the range of $250,000, though the estimated long-term energy savings for the lifespan of these LED lights could reach about $850,000, she said. The city has yet to call for tenders on this LED project, though the work is expected to be carried out in 2016. The remaining third of streets, which are generally newer developments, will only be converted to LED lights in about five to 10 years, she said.
Meanwhile, Île-Perrot has also tested LED lights along 10th Ave. near town hall last year, said Mayor Marc Roy. He added while the results from this pilot study were deemed positive, financial constraints have so far prevented his town from moving ahead with the conversation to LED lights as had been hoped.
“We’d like to do a street a year, but it depends on our budget. It’s a lot of money,” he said. “It’s about $500 to $700 for each (LED street light).”
Since it takes years to recoup installation costs through anticipated energy savings, Île-Perrot will proceed slowly with its LED conversion, the mayor said.