âWe had very, very little negative feedback, itâs been overwhelmingly good response,â Brozuk said. âThe light at road level is a little brighter but close to the previous lights.â
The selection process did take into consideration the type and amount of light emitted by streetlights. While new LEDs may appear light, Brozuk explained, at road level the amount emitted by the new 38-watt LED is similar to the 100-watt, high-pressure sodium lights theyâre replacing.
Oak Bay is a third of the way through a three-year plant to shift all streetlights in the community to LED.
Oak Bay Avenue south is pretty much covered in the first year of the plan, with an expected cost of $120,00 a year. A BC Hydro PowerSmart incentive covers 40 per cent of the lights and installation, and the energy savings is about 55 per cent, say Oak Bay municipal staff.
“Oak Bay has been looking at ways of reducing carbon emissions for the last 10-plus years,” said David Brozuk, superintendent of public works. “This is a good way to reduce our carbon footprint and have increased energy savings.”
Part of the reason for doing it now is the recent drop in the cost of the new technology relative to the old tech.
Community response, he says, is primarily positive.
“We’ve received a lot of good feedback,” he said “We have been testing LED light over the last two years.”