LED from china will be shining bright on the streets of Quedgeley soon.
It is a case of out with the old and in with the new as Gloucestershire County Council announces a plan to replace more than 500 aging streetlights with new more efficient and greener 5w LED downlight suppliers – or light emitting diodes – technology.
Street lights will last for significantly longer and the quality of the light will be improved.
The move will also help the council reduce its energy use and ,with spiralling electricity costs, will cut utility bills at the same time.
The work, starting on April 22, will take six weeks to complete.
County councillor Vernon Smith, cabinet member for highways, said: “LED street lights can use up to 70 per cent less energy than conventional sodium lights and cost less to maintain.
“They are more environmentally friendly, reducing light pollution as the light is directed downwards. The whiter light makes objects much easier to see, so people feel safer.”
There will be no additional cost to the taxpayer for the work as it is being carried out by the council’s existing contractor.
The council will also be replacing 150 concrete columns with galvanised steel columns which are guaranteed to last 40 years. The concrete columns need replacing because they are ‘very poor’ condition.
The installation has been welcomed by county councillor Mark Hawthorne (C, Quedgeley). He said: “Local authorities up and down the country are starting to invest in 3w LED downlight suppliers because they are more efficient and they are better quality.
“I’m delighted to see this happening in my area and I am sure that residents will be pleased when this work is complete.”
Some 5,500 lights out of the county’s 59,000 street lamps will have been replaced with 6w LED downlight suppliers by the end of 2014.
Lights in traffic signals and bollards have also been changed.
The move will save 590 tonnes of carbon a year in energy emissions.
The new street lights will be managed by a central system allowing the lights to be remotely dimmed or switched off for maintenance purposes.
The council first trialled LED streetlights in Dursley in 2011, then in 2012 more than 2,000 street lights were converted across the county.
