Further LED lighting upgrade in Hertfordshire

Street lights on B, C and unclassified (residential) roads in Hertfordshire will be upgraded to LED technology.   

The work, which will be completed in June, follows the successful upgrade of more than 12,600 streetlights on all A-roads across the county. The East Hertfordshire scheme will mean the upgrade of approximately 1,790 lights to energy-efficient ‘LEDs’.

LEDs (light emitting diodes) not only use much less energy, but also emit less CO2 than conventional lamps, helping to cut the county council’s carbon tax commitment.  The two phases of work represent a combined carbon tax saving of £81,000 per year.

The new lights are connected to a central management system (CMS), which detects faulty lights and enables changes to be made to light settings with the flick of a switch at a central point. This facility will allow light levels to be reduced between 11pm and 6am to make them even more economical, and increased if more light is needed, for example in the event of an accident.

Terry Douris, cabinet member for highways for Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Upgrading our existing lights to this modern technology forms part of Hertfordshire County Council's ongoing commitment to maintain and improve roads for the benefit of all Hertfordshire residents. The new LEDs use much less energy than conventional street lights, improve visibility for road users and can be controlled and monitored centrally, which in turn reduces costs.”

The project to upgrade street lights on B, C and unclassified (residential) roads around the county will cost £7.5m, but will bring savings of around £780,000 every year from the end of 2017 onwards. The recently completed upgrade of LED lights on the county’s A-roads cost £6.48m and is set to bring savings of around £660,000 (from the end of 2015) per year.

The work is being carried out by Ringway on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.