Ealing’s lights to be upgraded to LEDs

Ealing Council is spending £6 million on replacing 24,000 street lights with LED lanterns.

The new lights are expected to save the local authority £500,000 a year through a reduction in energy and maintenance costs.

Ealing’s 24,000 streetlights are maintained under a 25-year PFI (private finance initiative) contract and SSE Enterprise Contracting is responsible for their ongoing maintenance.

The existing high-pressure sodium lights will be replaced with the latest LED lanterns as part of SSE Enterprise Contracting’s normal maintenance programme. All of the new lights will be installed by October 2016. Ornate streetlights in conservation areas will not be changed to LED for now as the technology for these types of lights is not sufficiently developed yet. When it is, they will also be updated.

The council is investing £6m in the switch, but it is estimated that it will result in between 43% and 50% in savings in the annual street lighting electricity bills; which amounts to around £400,000. The council will also save around £100,000 a year in maintenance costs.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “Everyone wants to save money on their energy bills and, given the significant savings we have to make, this deal is a no-brainer with better lighting and significant savings for the council and residents."

Mark Rough, SSE Enterprise Contracting Group Operations Director, added: “Street lighting technology has developed significantly in recent years, both in terms of performance and efficiency.

“It is therefore no surprise that Ealing Council is keen to take advantage of the benefits that come with upgrading to LED technology and we are delighted to be working with the local authority on this project.”