LED Street Lights

The Nova Scotia government has passed a law requiring that all of its 120,000 roadway lights be converted to LEDs (light-emitting diodes). The law is expected to save the province approximately $5 million per year in electricity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30,000 tons, and save half a kilogram of mercury each year.

Most of the province's roads and highways were being lit by high-pressure sodium (HPS) and some mercury vapor bulbs, both of which are relatively inefficient and high consumers of electricity when compared to newer lighting solutions. Before the changeover process began, Nova Scotia Power owned about 90% of all the roadway lights in the province, with the remaining 10% belonging to municipalities. Nova Scotia Power has until the end of 2019 to make the switch, while municipalities have until the end of 2022.

The Municipality had the option of continuing to rent lights from Nova Scotia Power, or purchase their own; they have opted to purchase their own lights, and will likely have the project completed by the fall of 2014.

LED lights use less than half the energy of traditional lights, have a longer life, and require less maintenance. They have also been shown to provide a better quality, natural-looking light.