Orillia’s smart LED streetlight upgrade

Orillia smart LED streetlight upgrade to begin in August

July 24, 2020, OrilliaMatters – Starting in August, the City of Orillia is upgrading its streetlights to LED lights with smart lighting controls. The upgrade is anticipated to save approximately 40 per cent on street lighting costs and see an annual savings of more than 70 per cent in the City’s streetlight energy consumption.

“As a Council committed to a progressive and sustainable future, we are pleased to move forward with this significant upgrade to our streetlighting throughout the City,” said Mayor Steve Clarke. “Moving to LED streetlighting with smart control technology will not only reduce the City’s environmental footprint, but will also reduce costs and enhance lighting quality.”

Approximately 3,300 streetlight fixtures throughout the City will be upgraded to LED technology and smart lighting controls between August and October. The installation will be completed by the City’s project team, including RealTerm Energy and TM3 Inc. It is anticipated that the impact to traffic and the public will be minimal. Contractor work vehicles will be parked on the side of the street and may encroach onto the roadway depending on available space.

Including smart lighting controls will allow the City’s streetlight network to be connected and monitored remotely to determine lighting outages, allow for fixtures to be dimmed and lighting levels adjusted. This can assist with reducing energy and maintenance costs and light pollution. Enabling smart lighting controls will also ensure the City’s streetlight network is equipped for moving forward as technology changes with smart applications in the future.

“Once installed, we anticipate the new technology will reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions by 70 metric tonnes, which is equivalent to the greenhouse gases stored in 80 acres of forest or the energy required to charge almost 9 million cellphones,” said Renee Recoskie, Manager, Property and Environmental Sustainability.

The LED streetlight update and smart lighting controls project was approved as part of the City’s 2020 capital budget with an approved project budget of $2.4 million. It is anticipated that the savings using the updated technology will pay for the investment within six years.

The City of Orillia is a city of 31,000 people in the heart of Orillia & Lake Country on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe.

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