Some Unity neighbourhoods have noticed their nights are a little brighter thanks to LED light replacement on community streetlights.
Unity has been on the waiting list for this replacement, upgrading existing streetlight bulbs from the traditional orange-look lighting to the higher efficiency and brighter LED lighting. This was a very welcome upgrade for many neighbourhoods who noticed their streets now include a broader range and brighter light source after dark.
The town says Unity has been scheduled for this replacement for a while and knew there was a number of other communities on the replacement list so were expecting an alphabetical process, therefore a later completion date. Everyone is pleasantly surprised with the early results.
A spokesperson for SaskPower tells us Unity has been on the radar for this upgrade for a few years now when former Mayor Ben Weber contacted the company about a replacement project like this. Originally, Unity was slated to be done in 2024 however the action is now underway to replace all of Unity’s streetlights, numbering around the four-dozen mark. In total, this region will be replacing 343 of these streetlight bulbs.
The former sodium vapour streetlights are being replaced with light emitting diode, or LED, fixtures that use 40-60 per cent less energy, have a longer life expectancy and allow for less routine maintenance as they last longer, which SaskPower says will result in fewer outages. Reducing the energy demand from street lighting helps reduce SaskPower’s carbon footprint.
The work underway for this replacement process will take about six weeks, and be completed by local crews. Unity is set for completion of the replacements towards Aug. 20. Crews will then focus on the communities of Wilkie and Macklin for the same replacements.
One resident said, with a chuckle on his punny response, “Buy your local SaskPower guy a coffee because not only do they head out in the most unfavourable weather conditions to restore power, but they now have helped our town become a little brighter.”
