This month Cumbria County Council will continue a county-wide LED replacement programme across Copeland and Allerdale as part of a £5.3m three year county-wide street lighting replacement and improvement scheme.
The first year of the project saw LED replacement work completed in Barrow and South Lakeland, and this will now be delivered in Copeland and Allerdale throughout July, August, September and October. The final stage of the scheme will see the LED replacements implemented in Carlisle and Eden.
The ongoing LED replacement scheme is part of the council’s commitment to replacing all street lighting in Cumbria with LED lighting by the end of 2021.
Since 2014, the council has reduced the consumption of energy through the street lighting network by approximately 60% each year – equivalent to more than 10 million kilowatt hours (kwh) – and has saved over £1m in energy bills.
The LED replacement programme has also enabled the council to reduce its carbon emissions by over 7,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
To put this in perspective, the average home uses approximately 4,000 kwh every year – so the energy we have saved through the LED replacement scheme would power 2,500 households for a full year!
An electric car typically covers a distance of three miles using 1 kwh – so the energy saved through the LED programme would power an electric vehicle for 30 million miles – that’s 1,200 circuits of the earth!
Between July and October, over 6,000 street lights will be converted to LED in Copeland (3,800) and Allerdale (2,500). The new lights are more environmentally friendly, longer lasting and more cost effective, helping to reduce the overall cost to the council.
By investing in our street lighting network we are making our roads brighter and safer to help keep the people of Cumbria moving. Improved street lighting also provides a safer night-time network for all road users and pedestrians, helping to reduce accidents and crime.
Cllr Keith Little, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “I am delighted to see the programme being delivered in Copeland and Allerdale. By investing over £5m into the county’s street lighting network, we’re not only making the roads safer, but reducing our carbon emissions and energy bills by using the latest LED technology. I’d like to thank the council’s street lighting team for their hard work and commitment to replacing all of the street lighting in Cumbria with LED by the end of 2021.”
Cllr Peter Thornton, Deputy Leader of the council and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “This impressive programme across the county is helping the council to save over £1m a year in energy costs, and has been a major factor in helping the council achieve a 60% reduction in energy consumption in the last five years. The new lighting also keeps our communities safer and reduces the number of accidents on our roads.”
