Energy efficiency nears completion
A programme to convert all street lights on main roads in the borough to energy efficient LED will be completed in the next few months.
Dudley Council’s cabinet will be told the remaining 385 lanterns have now been received from suppliers and will be installed in the next two to three months in this final phase of the project.
Once installed, nearly 7,000 street lights on main roads in the borough will have been converted.
LED lighting costs less to run, is considered more effective and is also flexible as it can be dimmed at certain times of the night.
Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for public realm, said:
I’m delighted the remaining lanterns have now arrived and will be installed over the coming months.
The ongoing programme to replace our street lights with improved, less expensive more energy efficient LED bulbs is part of the council’s Invest to Save project and will help us on our path to become carbon-neutral.
The outlay will be more than covered by the savings we make on electricity and because we will be using less, it will ease pressure on the network.
Nationally, the demand for electricity is highest between the months of November and February, between 4pm and 7pm.
At this time the margin between the electricity generated and that required by households and business is at its tightest.
Once complete, the project will reduce peak demand by 100KW, the equivalent of around 800 kettles continuously boiling.
The update will be discussed at the next meeting of the cabinet on June 25.