THE installation of new energy-efficient street lights has already saved council tax-payers in the region of £330,000, according to Warrington Borough Council.
So far 13,000 old street light units have been replaced, with another 4,000 LED replacements due.
The lighting columns have been replaced on minor roads on a like-for-like basis and a similar programme is soon to start on more of the borough’s major highways.
The works were part of a capital investment ‘invest-to-save’ programme that started in 2014.
Cllr Hans Mundry, executive board member for highways, said: “Apart from the significant financial savings we have also reduced the borough’s carbon footprint and reduced light pollution significantly.
“Given the depth of the cuts in funding from central government we are having to find innovative ways to save and this has been particularly successful.”
3 Comments
There may be a saving on electricity by replacing the existing bulbs with LEDs, but what is the capital cost of replacing the old lamp standards with new ones?
Think it was a £25 million capital project. Worth noting that lamp posts have to be replaced after a number of years in any case as they corrode……back in the 90’s one of the businesses that I ran was the largest distributor of lighting columns and lanterns in the UK…so corrosion was good for business. In fairness to WBC I think that it was a good project for them to do.
You are most likely right Paul, because you were privy to the financial detail and your word is relied upon on the basis of your record in the local political scene. But Cllr Mundry’s claim of purported savings of £300,000 tells only part of the story on this “invest to save” scheme, since it does not tell us how much WBC invested in order to save, or over what period the capital expenditure (17,000 lighting columns @ say £1,500 a pop) will be recovered.