Olds town council has given the green light to a FortisAlberta proposal to replace the town's current high-pressure sodium street lights with LED lights, which it says are more efficient, environmentally friendly, and will save the town money.
The cost savings aren't huge. Olds interim chief administrative officer Pat Vincent says they're in the $5,000 to $6,000 a year range.
Stan Orlesky, supervisor of stakeholder relations for FortisAlberta, made the pitch during the town's Feb. 27 council meeting.
He said the town would save about 425,000 kilowatt hours per year by making this transition, which is the equivalent of taking 58 cars off the road, the operation of 54 homes, or planting 12,465 trees a year.
"That is fairly significant," Vincent says.
He estimates the town has about 1,200 high-pressure sodium street lights.
Another selling point from the town's perspective, Vincent says, is that FortisAlberta is footing the bill for that conversion.
"There's no capital cost involved with that at all," he says.
FortisAlberta corporate communications director Jennifer MacGowan says the company is waiting to receive formal word from the town that it approves the project.
Once that acknowledgement is received, FortisAlberta will then apply to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) for approval to implement the project in Olds.
Assuming the AUC does approve the project, then FortisAlberta will be in a position to figure out when to do the work in this community.
Vincent is hopeful the conversion in Olds will take place sometime this calendar year, possibly in the fall.
He likes the proposal.
"It fits in with the town's (strategic) plan and I think our whole desire to be more environmentally conscious," he says.
According to a Fortis document tabled with the proposal to council, advantages of the conversion include improved safety and night visibility, clearer and more consistent light quality, increased lifespan of fixtures, reduced maintenance costs, and "no mercury, lead or other known disposable hazards."
Vincent says another advantage of the changeover is that according to material provided to him, all the light from LED lights goes straight downward onto the street "so there's no loss of light," whereas some high-pressure sodium light goes out to the side.
"It fits in with the town's (strategic) plan and I think our whole desire to be more environmentally conscious." PAT VINCENT OLDS INTERIM CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
