Throughout the 2017 calendar year, the City of Launceston has been rolling out efficient LED street lights, replacing the old mercury vapour lights across the municipality.
The changeover is already paying dividends.
This project has involved the largest rollout of LED street lamps in Tasmania, and has so far seen the replacement of more than 4800 streetlights.
The new LED lights are 82 per cent more efficient than the mercury vapour lights, and have a 20-year lifespan.
They produce a similar light output, and will save an estimated 3848 tonnes of greenhouse gas over the life of the new lights.
That’s the equivalent of removing almost 90 cars from the road every year for the next 20 years.
The replacement program, which is due to be completed before Christmas, has seen Council’s street light electricity bill reduced by more than $35,000 compared with the same time last year.
This means Council will save more than $420,000 in the first year of the street light replacement program – that’s a fantastic result for the city.
And with only about 50 lights still to replace, we expect the savings will be somewhat greater going forward.
Based on current savings, the cost-benefit analysis of the replacement program is expected to see it breakeven in just six to seven years.
As a council, we’re committed to identifying any and all potential savings and efficiencies going forward.
This program certainly ticks both of those boxes.
The shift to the new lights is part of a regional push, with the Meander Valley, George Town, Break O’Day, Northern Midlands and West Tamar Councils also participating in the replacement of a further 4300 globes across Northern Tasmania.
