Gippsland › Latest news › Wellington Local News

Replacement of more than a thousand existing street lights with new energy efficient LED for Wellington Shire starts 1 May 2022

Wellington Shire Council will undertake a bulk replacement of more than 1400 streetlights from 1 May, as part of a Gippsland-wide project to improve energy use and safety.

By news@gippsland - 7th April 2022 - Back to News

The upgrade will involve the replacement of existing streetlights with new high performance and energy efficient LED lighting. By the end of the project, all street lights in Wellington Shire will be LED. The new lights will reduce council's energy usage by 488,300 kWh per year, saving around 470 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year, resulting in significant cost savings. The bulk replacement will also help council improve compliance with Australian Standards in safety and light levels.

LED streetlights are better for the environment, they improve our compliance with Australian safety and light level standards which mean our streets are safer

Completing the street lights

Wellington Shire Council Mayor Ian Bye said around 70 percent of streetlights had already been replaced with LED lighting in 2017. "This project will allow us to complete the remaining lights, including on major roads, with lighting that lasts longer and performs better."

"In our 2021-25 Council Plan, Climate Change was identified as our number one priority so changing our street lighting to a more energy efficient alternative is a no-brainer for the council. Apart from reducing greenhouse gas emissions, changing street lights to LED is also one of the biggest ongoing cost saving measures council can undertake." Cr Bye said.

Undertaking essential projects

The streetlight upgrade project was made possible through $1,250,000 in funding from the Australian Government through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program. This program supports councils to deliver priority local road and community infrastructure projects across Australia, supporting jobs and the resilience of local economies to help communities bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said the project would save approximately $9.4 million in energy and capital costs across Wellington, East Gippsland and South Gippsland Shire Councils over the assets' lifetime. "The Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program is designed to support councils undertaking essential projects for the region to help improve community infrastructure, accessibility to services and appropriate facilities," Mr Chester said.

For more information about this project, visit Streetlights LED Bulk Replacement - Phase 2 page or contact council's Sustainability Project Officer by calling the Service Centre on 1300 366 244.
‍
Pictures from Wellington Shire Council Facebook page.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com