The City of Richmond is more than halfway to completion of its LED street light conversion program, as the nighttime glow alongside streets changes from a familiar yellow to an innovative white.
To date, the city has replaced 2,670 sodium-vapor street lamps to more energy efficient LED lights and has about 1,600 remaining to be replaced.
And although LED lights have been a cause for concern in the health field, the city maintains it is following American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines by reducing the brightness of the lights.
While supportive of the overall energy savings, AMA notes bright LED lights emit blue-rich light (appearing white to the human eye), which can affect melatonin production and imperil sleep.
As such, it recommends lights be set to 3,000 Kelvins.
AMA also recommends: “All LED lighting should be properly shielded to minimize glare and detrimental human and environmental effects, and consideration should be given to utilize the ability of LED lighting to be dimmed for off-peak time periods.”
The city presently does not shield new LED street lights, however shields can be installed upon request, when light is overly obtrusive.
“Where we have challenges minimizing light trespass, house side shields have been installed,” said city spokesperson Ted Townsend.
To date, only a handful of complaints have reached city hall since the conversions began in 2017.
“…We have only received approximately 10 complaints where shielding was required. The use of [a] house side shield does create other problems, such as reduced light levels on the sidewalks and in certain cases on roadways, reducing lighting standards,” noted Townsend, via email.
Residents can request for a house side shield by calling the city’s Public Works Service Centre at 604-244-1262.
The 2,600-plus lights replaced to date have cost the city $790,000, saving it about 810,000 kWh of power and about $80,000 annually.
The city owns and operates over 11,000 street lights. BC Hydro owns and operates an additional 2,300.
BC Hydro notes sodium lamps last only 20,000 hours, while LED lights last about 50,000 hours and technology advancements may top 100,000 hours.
