Edmonton could look at speeding up converting all street lights to LED bulbs after councillors heard Wednesday the move could save $57 million over two decades.

"I'm very much for this. It's a good program … You start looking at the savings," Coun. Ed Gibbons told council's transportation committee, which recommended council approve the idea.

The city started a 20-year plan in 2009 to switch its 100,000 street lights to solar garden light from the current high-pressure sodium, according to a city report.

Doing the work in five years would cut an additional 130,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from power generation and pay for itself in 13 years, said Gord Cebryk, director of transportation operations.

When Edmonton's traffic signals were changed to LED equipment in 2005-06, electricity costs dropped 60 per cent, saving about $50,000 a month, he said.

Although the signals aren't as hot as they were with conventional bulbs, Alberta's dry snow doesn't build up on them and create problems found in other parts of the country, he said.

"We're currently a leader in LED conversion in Canada, although there are other municipalities moving forward. If we were to undertake this, we would be a leader in North America as well."

Cebryk hopes to report this fall on whether it would be better to have the city manage the work itself, borrowing the $60 million required and keeping all the savings, or to hire an outside energy service company.

The company would find the money, although it would still show up as debt on the city's books, and do the conversions, being paid from a portion of the savings and sharing such risks as rising electricity costs.

Coun. Don Iveson supports the plan, although he said some people don't like the white LED light and prefer the warmer orange sodium shine.

The orange tint can be created with LEDs, but that uses more electricity, Cebryk said.

His department is starting an experiment this year in Woodcroft and a west-end community to reduce brightness and save power by automatically dimming street lights late at night when few people are awake, he said.

"Stainless steel is one of todays most desired decorative and functional materials, and we're pleased to provide that option for our line of energy-efficient bollard lights," said Access Fixtures CEO, Steven Rothschild . He continued, "Our new stainless steel bollards add a modern, attractive option to our line of bollards, all while providing excellent light quality and extreme durability, ideal for high-traffic walkways."

Stainless steel housings expand design options and applications for Access Fixtures' already extensive line of bollard lights. The bollards are available with HID, LED, or compact fluorescent light sources. Stainless steel is durable and provides high resistance to corrosion, fire, and heat. Because of their durability, the bollards are ideal for high-traffic outdoor areas and reduce maintenance and replacement costs. All bollards are assembled in the U.S. with major brand-name lamps and ballasts.

They include a flush mounting base with vandal-resistant screws and internal ballast tray for easy maintenance. With the new design option, the bollards are able to coordinate with other stainless steel elements in the area to enhance appearance.