BC Hydro will be switching out approximately 4,276 bulbs from streetlights in Nanaimo neighborhoods. They’ll be switching the old sodium bulbs to new LEDs.
“These new street lights will help improve public safety in the community by increasing the visibility of sidewalks and roads at night, as well as help reduce light pollution,” said Scott Petrie, Program Manager for LED Street Lighting. “LEDs also last longer and require less maintenance.”
The City of Nanaimo had switched out many of its bulbs to LEDs in 2018, however, as BC Hydro owns separate lights from the city, the full city-wide switch was not made until this month.
The city says that the 4,276 streetlights owned by BC Hydro cost around $300,000 annually. In order to cut costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the decision to switch to LEDs was made. The city did not provide an estimate of how much money it would save.
The bulb replacement project will last from this month until the end of 2021. At the current moment, most of Nanaimo’s major road network has been switched to LEDs.
