Green lighting comes to schools
Yk1 invests in LED bulbs, sees savings on heating bill
Joseph Tunney
Northern News Services
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Warmer winters are bringing environmentally friendly initiatives to some schools in Yellowknife.
With heating bills being cheaper last winter, Yellowknife Education District No. 1 projects it saved approximately $300,000.
Although those funds would normally go back to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), the district has been allowed to put the money into a fund for LED lighting in many of its buildings.
"It's good," said Terry Brookes, the board of trustees' finance chairperson, at the district's ratepayers meeting last Monday.
"It's going to save on the heating and lighting that (ECE) pays for anyway and put into a good program that is very energy efficient."
The new bulbs will be installed after the district puts out a request for proposals to determine who will do the work. Tram Do, director of corporate services for the district, said this is an example of what the district can do to help save the government money.
"Ultimately, the people who benefit are the taxpayers," she said.
The actual amount of savings the LED bulbs will bring won't be known until the end of the year.
However, based on the wattage of the two types of bulbs, Do projects the district will save 30 to 40 per cent on lighting.
"If we were to (completely) convert Mildred Hall, we're estimating around $50,000 savings a year," she said. "Potentially we could save the government - if we were going to do a full conversion - $300,000 a year in wattage use."
The district will work with its maintenance and facilities office, the Department of Public Works and Arctic Green Energy to accomplish the project.
