A CONTRACT to replace more than 15,000 streetlights with LED bulbs could save around £1.2million a year in energy costs.
The proposed deal will be discussed by Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet next week.
Part of the Invest to Save programme, it would see a £4.9million project to replace thousands of older streetlights with modern technology.
Because LED lights use less electricity than traditional orange bulbs and last around five times as long, the county council is hoping to recoup the outlay through energy savings.
Cllr Peter Mason, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for strategic highways said:
“Not only are LED lights longer lasting – which reduces the likelihood of outages – they are 60% cheaper to run than the old streetlights they are replacing.
“They improve public safety too by making colours much more natural to provide better facial recognition for security and CCTV cameras.”
The upgrades would be funded through the county council’s Private Finance Initiative reserve fund, which is ring-fenced for streetlighting improvements.
The project would be delivered over two years by E.ON, which manages the county’s highway lighting network on behalf of the council.
Phase one of the scheme, approved in 2020, saw 47,955 streetlights upgraded to LED.
Cllr Mason said:
“So far, the Invest to Save initiative has saved £2.2million in energy costs per year.
“By upgrading a further 15,000 streetlights, we expect to add another £1.2 million to those yearly energy savings, building on our commitment to both public safety and financial efficiency.”
The proposal will be discussed at Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet meeting on 16th July.
