Replacing 6450 conventional street and park lights in Sydney will save nearly $800,000 a year in electricity bills and maintenance costs.
GE Lighting, together with its Australian partner UGL Limited, has completed the installation of LED lights at Bicentennial Park in Glebe as part of the rollout of a $7 million project to replace 6450 street and park lights across the City of Sydney over the next three years. The new LED lights are more energy efficient, and exude a whiter and brighter illumination.
Garry Harding, City of Sydney director of city operations, states that replacing the 6450 conventional lights will save nearly $800,000 a year in electricity bills and maintenance costs. The rollout of the new street lighting follows a successful 18-month trial at Alexandria Park, Kings Cross, Martin Place and Circular Quay. In a public survey conducted by the City of Sydney after the trial more than 90 percent of people reported finding the new lighting appealing, and three-quarters said it improved visibility.
Currently, the City of Sydney is one of the largest users of street lighting in New South Wales, with 22,000 lights. Public lighting accounts for a third of the city’s annual electricity use and 30 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to estimated savings in electricity bills and maintenance costs, the new LED lights will cut gas emissions by 40 percent, or 2581 tonnes per year.
