A partnership between Wollongong City Council and Endeavour Energy will see the remainder of the City's streetlight network, some 8,521 globes, replaced with energy efficient light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures over the next nine months.
The switch, which starts on Monday, will reduce the city's energy consumption by 4,089 megawatt hours per year, easing pressure on the electricity grid.
Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said the program demonstrates Council's commitment to sustainability and saving costs.
"Community members aren't the only ones feeling the pinch of challenging economic conditions. Switching to LEDs will save us an estimated $8 million in electricity costs over the life of the lights. Those savings can instead be put towards local services like libraries, pools, parks and gardens, managing waste, maintaining roads, and investing in capital works to benefit the community," Cr Bradbery said.
"The new lights will provide better visibility to make our streets safer for pedestrians and motorists. They use up to 60 per-cent less electricity and last up to 20 years which makes them a great option for street lighting and in houses.
"Half of the streetlighting network is already fitted with LEDs and this project covers the remainder."
Cr Bradbery said the project was just one of the ways Council was working to protect the environment and make Wollongong a more sustainable place to live, work and play.
"This project achieves another key action of the Wollongong City Council Climate Change Mitigation Plan. We're working toward net-zero for Council emissions by 2030 and community emissions by 2050," Cr Bradbery said.
"Our streetlight network is already powered by 100% renewable energy thanks to the power purchasing agreement we signed in November." (see that release here)
Here's what Endeavour Energy's General Manager of Business Services, Andrew Pitman, had to say:
"Providing safe, reliable and affordable power to people living and working across Wollongong is at the core of what we do, however, having a positive impact on the communities we serve, and the local environment is just as important.
"That's why we are pleased to partner with Wollongong City Council on their streetlight replacement program which will deliver both environmental and financial benefits for the Wollongong community.
"You will see our trucks around Wollongong over the coming months as we switch the globes over. The switch is quite straightforward and only takes about 10 minutes per light. Cars can remain parked on the street, and we will work to minimise the impact on local traffic."
