The City of Edmonton is ready to go all-in on an energy-saving initiative that it has been doing for years, but only on a part-time basis until now.
Over the last decade, when neighborhoods have undergone rehabilitation work, the existing street lights were swapped out and replaced with LEDs.
After seeing their performance, city council agreed on a $20-million plan to change out all the remaining old-style street lights in one large project.
“If it’s going to save us more money over the long-term, why not do it more quickly?” Councillor Andrew Knack asked.
The financing for the retrofit will be paid back through energy savings over the coming years.
City council approved the plan during budget deliberations in December.
“I don’t think there was a large discussion, in part, because the analysis has shown… there’s significant positive benefit,” Knack said.
“There’s not much debate if you’re going to save money in the long-term and you’re going to get the environmental benefit. What’s to really dispute?”
Knack has seen both the old and new lights in his part of town in Ward 1. He likes the improvement.
“You see the light more concentrated onto the street. It makes it feel brighter.”
Council will vote on the borrowing bylaw at Tuesday’s council meeting.
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