November 1, 2013 – The City of Markham (Ontario) recently announced an intelligent LED streetlight conversion program under which cobra-style HPS (high pressure sodium) lighting units will be converted to LED on most collector and arterial roads, and many residential streets.

There are currently about 12,300 cobra-style lights in Markham, representing about half of the city’s streetlight inventory. According to the city, the conversion program’s benefits include:

• 50% to 60% lower maintenance costs due to the 20-year life span of LED lighting units.
• Elimination of the 5-year group re-lamping program and regular night patrolling.
• 50% 60% reduction in energy costs from the 12,000+ streetlights.
• Elimination of uplight that produces sky glow, meeting International Dark-Sky Association requirements.

“The new LED system also allows city staff to remotely monitor energy usage and outages, and can be integrated with other city management systems,” said Mayor Frank Scarpitti.

The LED fixtures are supplied by Philips Lumec, GE and LED Roadway Lighting (LRL).