Saskatoon Light & Power has begun a project to replace more than 17,000 street light fixtures with LED technology.
Director Trevor Bell says switching out the lights will mean a reduction of about 114,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, which is like taking 35,000 cars off the road for a year.
The two-year project will cost just over $6-million, with the federal government through its Low Carbon Economy Fund will covering 40 per cent. The rest will be covered by a green loan paid back by the cost savings which are estimated to be around $849,000 a year once all the fixtures are replaced.
To date, Bell says, about 5,000 LED fixtures have been installed under this program in neighbourhoods and roads served by Saskatoon Light & Power.