The SEAD Initiative and CLASP are helping Canadian cities go green by accelerating the deployment of energy-efficient LED street lighting.

In British Columbia, the SEAD Initiative and CLASP partnered with LightSavers Canada, a program of the Canadian Urban Institute, to support an innovative procurement program that aims to purchase over 100,000 quality LED street lighting products in the province.

Switching all street lights in British Columbia to LED would save public sector purchasers approximately 105 GWh of electricity per year – enough to power 10,000 homes – and reduce provincial greenhouse gas emissions by 1,400 tonnes.

Street lighting is typically one of the largest sources of energy consumption under a municipality’s direct control. Public street and area lighting account for up to 40% of electricity consumed by municipalities, and for about 1-3% of total electricity demand worldwide. By switching to LED street lights, municipalities can achieve up to 50% in energy savings. LED street lights also offer numerous co-benefits, including lower maintenance costs, a longer lifespan, reduced light pollution, and better visibility for pedestrians and motorists.

To help towns and cities around the world make the switch from conventional to LED street lighting, the SEAD Initiative, with support from CLASP, developed the SEAD Street Lighting Tool. This tool is a free, easy-to-use calculator that procurement officials can use to quickly and comprehensively evaluate the lighting quality, efficiency, technical compatibility, and cost of different street lighting products. In British Columbia, LightSavers Canada used the Street Lighting Tool while developing a pre-qualified list of LED products that public sector agencies could purchase under the province’s procurement program.