The City of Guelph is trying to make the switch to LED street lights, starting with a field trial in some residential areas of the City.

Alex Chapman is the program manager for energy for the City of Guelph, and spoke to 570 News about the trial.

“The trial is in a limited part of the City just to get a bit of a feel for what the lights are like and how they perform, and also to get some reaction from the public.”

Chapman added that there is financial benefits to making the switch– and the City could save up to 50 per cent of its 13,000 street lights’ energy use.

“We currently spend more than $1.5 million a year on electricity for the over 13,000 street lights we have in the City– and that’s a lot of money, so any opportunity to save is a benefit to the taxpayers of Guelph.”

During the test period, which runs until March, the City will consider a number of factors, including cost, energy efficiency, maintenance requirements, long-term technology compatibility and the community’s preferences.

Chapman said that although the testing area is small, they’ve already received some positive feedback.

“Basically people have expressed that the light is cleaner and makes them feel more secure… and also some have said that they think they are brighter.”

A city-wide transition to LED street lights could start as early as this fall if the trial is successful.

“Once the trial is over, we will put together a request for proposal to see if there are some contractors out there that are interested in supplying this kind of lighting to us, then we will do an investment grade audit to make sure we have an accurate number of how many streetlights are in the City and more technical figures, then after that– it’s just a matter of going out and swapping all the street lights,” said Chapman.

Other municipalities including Mississauga, Guelph-Eramosa Township and London are also in the process of switching to LED street lights.

Chapman said the City of Guelph is excited to be a part of this initiative.

“It’s an exciting example of how advancing technology can allow us to improve the quality of service but at a lower cost– it’s rare that you get that kind of opportunity, so it’s exciting to be a part of it.”

For more information about the initiative you can click here.