ENMAX and The City of Calgary making good progress on streetlight outages

The following release was shared with the media on December 19, 2012.

ENMAX and The City of Calgary making good progress on streetlight outages

Calgary, Alta. – Several months after implementing enhanced processes to address burned out streetlights, ENMAX and The City of Calgary are pleased to announce a significant reduction in the back-log of repairs. In close cooperation with The City of Calgary Roads, the number of outages was reduced from an all-time high of 1,933 in mid-March 2012 to 517 and counting.

“ENMAX has been working hard together with the City to ensure Calgarians have access to reliable lighting throughout the year,” says Gianna Manes, ENMAX President and CEO. “After adjusting our operational practices and achieving efficiency gains earlier this year, I’m pleased to report that fewer than 1 per cent of Calgary’s 90,000 street lights are out of service today, which is well below the performance threshold set by the City for the percentage of outages at any one time.”

ENMAX's enhanced processes took into account The City's existing budget, addressing the issue with productivity gains instead of increased dollars. ENMAX crews were scheduled predominantly in the evening hours to avoid street traffic so that bulbs needing replacement could be seen easily and immediately addressed. Crews were also concentrated in smaller geographical areas to minimize driving time between identified locations.

“After hearing the concerns of many Calgarians about this backlog, I'm very pleased that The City and ENMAX were able to work together to repair many streetlights without increasing the budget,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Well-lit streets are important to the comfort and safety of Calgarians, and I'm glad that we could work smarter, together, to make things better.”

Background

• There are approximately 90,000 streetlights in Calgary.
• The City of Calgary owns the streetlights and contracts ENMAX to maintain them.
• The number of streetlight repairs has increased by approximately 10 per cent annually since 2009 due in part to aging infrastructure and the increase in the number of street lights as Calgary continues to grow. The City's budgeted dollars for this maintenance is $3.6 million which covers all material, labour and escalations. The budget has not increased since 2009.
• Targeted timelines for repair are:
• Many lights out on major roads – within 7 days
• Single light out on residential road – within 30 days
• Residents can report an outage by calling 311. This generates an immediate service request which ENMAX receives the following day.

About ENMAX Power Corporation
ENMAX Power Corporation, a subsidiary of ENMAX Corporation, and its predecessors have provided Albertans with safe and reliable electricity for more than 100 years. One of the most reliable urban utilities in Canada, ENMAX Power owns, operates and maintains the distribution and much of the transmission network in and around Calgary, which are activities regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission. Non-regulated subsidiaries of ENMAX Power provide engineering, procurement, and construction services as well as maintenance for electrical servicing of residential and commercial developments and light rail transit systems. Visit our website at www.enmaxpower.com.

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- Posted by Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team