Whereas high pressure sodium HPS streetlights are a major energy burden to municipalities and contribute significantly to green house gas emissions and light pollution; And whereas BC Hydro owns the majority approximately 75 of all municipal streetlights: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Province of British Columbia to direct BC Hydro to begin an LED streetlight conversion project to programmable LED streetlights in all local governments.
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources BC Hydro owns and maintains approximately 95,000 of about 350,000 streetlights across B.C. The streetlight replacement program has been delayed as BC Hydro continues to evaluate new technologies that have come on the market since BC Hydro began its pilot projects. BC Hydro is looking at all options to offer customers, including light colour, wattage and light distribution. As well, BC Hydro is considering the needs of customers related to dimming, street light failureoutage notifications and Smart Cities requirements. BC Hydro is working on the rollout of the streetlight replacement program. They have been consulting with communities over the last two years on an LED streetlight rate structure and plan to file a rate design application with the BC Utilities Commission in late 2019. An updated rate is required prior to the rollout of LED street lights as current rates do not include charges for BC Hydro owned LED streetlights. BC Hydro cannot charge for LED streetlights without BCUC approval of a LED streetlight rate. BC Hydro anticipates streetlight replacement work will begin in 2020 and is anticipated to take between three and six years to complete.
BC Hydro BC Hydro has an active Streetlight Replacement Program which began LED pilot projects in 2016. BC Hydro is currently evaluating its streetlight offerings to customers, assessing lighting factors such as colour temperature, wattage and illumination. In addition, we are considering the needs of our streetlight customers related to dimming, street light failureoutage notifications and Smart Cities requirements. A Request for Supplier Qualifications was posted on BCBid in September and is scheduled to close on November 13, 2018. The results will allow BC Hydro to prequalify vendors who will be invited to respond to a Request for Proposals which we plan to release in 2019. The current Electric Tariff only includes charges for high pressure sodium and mercury vapor street lights. BC Hydro cannot charge for LED streetlights under these current rate schedules. We have been consulting with streetlight customers over the past three years and plan to file a rate design application with the B.C. Utilities Commission in late 2019 to include rates for LED streetlights. BC Hydro anticipates streetlight replacement work will begin in 2020. The duration of the LED conversion program, which will cover the entire BC Hydro service territory, is anticipated to be approximately 6 years.