23 March 2009
MAJOR SAVINGS POTENTIAL FROM NEW APPROACHES TO STREET LIGHTING
Councils across the UK have the opportunity to save around £35 million of taxpayers’ money each year, cut an estimated 150,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and reduce light pollution by adopting new approaches to the way they light streets and traffic signs. Reports published today (23rd March 09) conclude that major benefits are possible without necessarily switching street lights off.
The new advice to local authorities comes in a series of reports initiated by CSS, which represents local authority directors responsible for transport, environment and energy, in partnership with TfL (Transport for London), SCOTS (Society of Chief Officers in Transportation for Scotland), the ILE (Institution of Lighting Engineers), Transport Scotland and the HA (Highways Agency).
Dana Skelley, chair of the CSS Street Lighting Working Group, said today: “I am very pleased that we have been able to engage the whole of the UK in looking at new approaches to street lighting. The chance to gain major savings from tax spend and on CO2 and light pollution while still offering effective street and sign lighting is a fantastic step in contributing to the important efficiency and green agendas without jeopardising public safety.”
Publication of the reports follows research, much of which was undertaken by TRL (the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory) drawing on information from trials run by individual local authorities. The work was undertaken in recognition of the increasing pressure on local authorities to reduce the spiralling electricity costs associated with their lighting while tackling the environmental pressures of light pollution and CO2 emissions.
With councils typically paying four times as much today for their electricity as they were five years ago, the pressure on the public purse has been growing. At the same time, it is estimated that street lighting across the whole of the UK results in more than a million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
The approach suggested by the new reports comes with a series of measures which take advantage of recent rapid changes in technology and include dimming lights at times of lower usage to levels that still maintain road safety and pedestrian security. Authorities are recommended not to over-specify lighting levels with resulting wastage in energy and increased light pollution. Local authorities are, therefore, urged to review their lighting policies to see whether they exceed British and European Standards and to establish the correct level of lumination for different road types.
The research shows that each year a dimming scheme could save, over £1,500 per kilometre of main traffic route and almost £500 per kilometre in residential areas. This could typically result in CO2 emission reductions of just under eight tonnes per kilometre of main traffic routes and 2.5 tonnes per kilometre in residential areas every year. Investment in control equipment would be a pre requisite.
The studies show that revisions to design codes and targeted investment could reduce both energy costs and CO2 emissions by an estimated 15 per cent.
There is also said to be major potential for savings in the approach to the lighting of traffic signs and illuminated bollards. Authorities should also consider removing unnecessary signs, converting signs which no longer need to be directly illuminated to retro-reflective sign faces, and existing signs that are lit day and night should be converted to run on photo electric cells as soon as possible.
On the issue of switching street lights off, it is concluded that the safety and security benefits of lighting are substantial and that care needs to be taken that switching lighting off doesn’t impact on crime, personal security and night-time accidents. Potential savings in energy and CO2 need to be balanced against these wider community benefits. Where it is considered safe and practical to remove or switch off lighting, consultation should be undertaken to test community views.
Ends
Media contact
Daybreak Communications 0845 644 3845
Barrie Hedges (m: 07899 923756) barrie.hedges@daybreakcomm.co.uk
Michael Pullan (m: 07789 886094) michael.pullan@daybreakcomm.co.uk
Notes to editors
- CSS represents local authority chief officers who manage some of the most pressing issues facing the UK today. Membership is drawn from all four corners of the United Kingdom with members responsible for three-quarters of the road network, two thirds of the land area and just under half of the population of England and Wales. Operating at the strategic tier of local government, they are closely involved in crucial transport, waste management, environment, planning, energy and economic development issues.
- The five reports published today on the Transport Research Laboratory website www.trl.co.uk are:
|
Membership