By Rhonda Massad
www.thesuburban.com
Dollard des Ormeaux and Sainte Anne de Bellevue have made changing street lamp technology a priority. Both cities are investing in low-energy decorative light-emitting diode lighting to save money as well as reduce their carbon footprint. Sainte Anne has been working on the transition for two years. According to Mayor Paola Hawa, the rollout will take place over ten years.
“Each year we set aside $50,000 in our regular budget to change older, inefficient street lights to new, more energy-efficient models,” Hawa told The Suburban in an interview.
The model chosen will point the light where it’s needed and away from the sky.
“The benefits will be twofold—we are going to save money by reducing energy consumption and reduce light pollution at the same time,” Hawa said.
According to Hawa, this year the city will be able to double the amount of lamps it converts to the new technology, after it found a less costly model with more advanced technology than it used during the past two years.
“Our new Philips Roadview models cost 60 percent less than the ones that were installed in the past,” Hawa explained. “We are set to go to tender after the April public council meeting. There are also grants available to encourage cities to go green, so we may do even more than expected.”
Dollard des Ormeaux will is also looking toward changing its decorative street light technology, according to DDO road network section head Éric Bélanger.
“We are in the process of testing five models of lighting and we have instructions from council to move quickly so we can get started on the work as soon as possible,” he explained. “Once we finish the study, we will make a recommendation to council.”
At its April meeting DDO city council a $6 million budget for the project, part of which Bélanger hopes will be covered by energy-saving incentive grants.