Bristol outlines energy-saving LED street lighting proposals

Bristol City Council is considering ramping up its programme to replace 29,000 old street lights with the latest LED lanterns.

The new lighting is projected to save the council around £1.8 million a year in energy and maintenance costs. The proposals also include introducing a central management system that would enable the street lighting network to be monitored and controlled remotely. It could be used to dim lights in certain areas or illuminate others for events or if there is an accident or incident.

Upgrading the street lighting network could save almost 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide within a decade, whilst also helping to reduce light pollution as LEDs direct light onto roads and pavements, rather than overhead or into people’s homes and gardens.

If approved, the rollout of the LED programme will get underway from November 2022 and will be completed over three years.

Don Alexander, cabinet member for Transport, said: “With the climate emergency and energy bills rising across the UK, it has never been more important to find ways to reduce our energy consumption across the city. Making an upfront investment to speed up our switch over to LED street lighting is a simple way to make energy savings of up to 50 per cent, which is good news for the environment and will dramatically reduce our energy bills. This is an exciting project that uses smart city technology, which will make sure our street lighting network is responsive, reliable and fit for purpose for years to come.”