More than 3,100 street lights operated by South Kesteven District Council are to benefit from a £1m energy-saving upgrade.
The investment will pay for itself in four years and enables the council to continue to keep its lights on through the night.
Street lighting is the single largest area of electricity consumption for the Council and accounts for just over 4% of SKDC’s total carbon emissions.
Council Leader Cllr Ashley Baxter said: “We’re speeding up the implementation of this upgrade to maximise the energy savings from new LED bulbs. We will making further savings by dimming them between midnight and 6am.
“The whole stock of existing streetlights should be upgraded within 18 months and a ten-year warranty will also allow the Council to reduce maintenance costs.
“We’re also taking care of wildlife through this initiative by reducing the impact of night-time illumination, by securing a lights with an appropriate colour temperature, removing the possibility of cool spectrum light.”
The contract was awarded to E.ON Energy Solutions Limited by the SKDC Cabinet today (Tuesday. It covers a work programme upgrade around 3,100 streetlights to LED units with an in-built dimming programme.
The Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee will receive ongoing monitoring updates, with responsibility for project delivery falling to the Deputy Chief Executive.
Councils do not have a duty to provide streetlighting, however once provided, the local authority does have a duty to maintain the system in a safe condition.
South Kesteven District Council operates a total 3,893 streetlights within the district, which are funded from the Council’s General Fund, including 303 lamps relating to the Council’s housing stock. These lights are predominantly for providing lighting to footways. Street lighting provided for highways is mostly managed by Lincolnshire County Council and turned off between midnight to 6am.
The LED upgrade is funded by £500,000 from the Invest to Save Reserve, £250,000 from the Budget Stabilisation Reserve and £250,000 from the Local Priorities Reserve.