While conversion to the new lighting could reduce up to 4,444 megawatts of electricity per year and lower carbon emissions annually by almost four thousand tonnes, it will also help Cumberland Council reduce costs and save on maintenance.
Council has teamed up with two of Australia’s biggest energy companies Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy to replace old street lights with new carbon-saving light-emitting diode (LED) lights.
As part of the LED Streetlighting Replacement Program, beginning next January, close to 11,000 old and inefficient lights will be replaced.
Mayor Lisa Lake said the program aligns with council’s vision for the area to become more carbon-neutral, sustainable, greener and cleaner, “an important step to reducing our impact on the local environment”.
“Through this program Council will not only reduce its impact on the environment, but will also reduce its light pollution, lower the cost of electricity and save on maintenance costs,” she said.
Council’s street lights are either made up of old mercury vapour or compact fluorescent, which over time have had a negative impact on the environment and are being phased out of the market.
Mayor Lake said it is one of the many environmental initiatives that Council is rolling out to help reduce carbon emissions.
“We are working towards reducing our carbon emissions through our Energy Savings Action Plan,” she said.
“We are in the process of moving our fleet to electric hybrid vehicles (EV) and have installed solar photovoltaic (PV) technology at 15 Council operated facilities across the Cumberland Local Government Area,” she said.
