Belleville Deploys Smart Street Lighting, Cuts Energy Costs Citywide

Belleville's strategic vision, Build Belleville, focuses on implementing smart infrastructure projects, with smart street lighting identified as a key component. City crews have begun fitting connector nodes to existing poles, replacing a patchwork of older high-pressure sodium fixtures that ranged from 100 to 400 watts and served nearly 5,000 lights.

The change comes as the city seeks measurable reductions in energy costs and maintenance calls while gaining better oversight of its outdoor lighting assets. Officials noted that many streets had uneven illumination and that replacements for the old fixtures were both expensive and slow.

Daily improvements for residents

Residents who use the city's numerous parks, gardens, harbours and cultural spots will notice more consistent light levels once the new system is fully commissioned. Automatic fault detection means crews can respond to outages without waiting for public reports, reducing dark patches that previously lingered for days.

The cellular-based network requires no extra signal boosters around buildings or trees, so installation moves quickly. A single crew can complete work on up to 500 poles in one day, limiting disruption to evening traffic and pedestrian routes.

Asset control and future steps

Each pole now carries a unique identifier that feeds a central dashboard, giving staff immediate data on wattage, voltage changes and operating hours. The same software supports dimming schedules and remote scheduling, features that were impossible with the prior setup.

City staff expect the new inventory records to support longer-term planning for replacements and budgeting. Further phases under the Build Belleville plan can build on the same platform without additional field hardware. Source: https://www.assets.signify.com/is/content/Signify/Assets/signify/united-states/20220722-case-study-belleville-interact.pdf