School Boards Receive Funding for Energy-efficient Lighting

Conserve Nova Scotia is helping more than 125 schools in Nova Scotia become more energy efficient.

The province will invest $400,000 in a partner program with school boards to help Nova Scotia schools switch to energy-efficient lighting.

"The energy savings that can be achieved by switching to energy-efficient lighting are quite significant," said Richard Hurlburt, Minister responsible for Conserve Nova Scotia, today, April 15, in Truro. "This investment will help school boards improve lighting, save energy and money, and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions."

The school board lighting projects will replace older fluorescent lights and ballasts with high-performance systems, and convert exit lights to energy-efficient light emitting diode (LED) technology. Some schools will get major lighting retrofits, while others will focus on exit-light upgrades.

The upgrades will save about $190,000 annually, and bring a reduction of about 1,250 tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions each year.

"The school boards are teaching us an important lesson here today," said Education Minister Karen Casey. "Small changes can make a big difference in ensuring our environmental future."

Under the partnership agreement, school boards are responsible for installing new lights and disposing of the old lights in an environmentally friendly way.

All eight school boards in Nova Scotia are partnering with the province on the program.

For more information on Conserve Nova Scotia's programs, visit www.conservens.ca or call the toll-free EnerInfo line at 1-800-670-4636.