Council dims lights to save money
03rd October 2009
A Greater Manchester council has put forward a plan to save £60,000 by switching off street lights earlier and turning them on later.
Bolton Council hopes to make the saving over 10 years by keeping its 36,000 lights off an extra eight minutes per day - four at dusk and four at dawn.
About £150,000 will be spent swapping 45 watt bulbs with energy-saving 18 watt LED bulbs on residential roads.
There is a trial to dim street lights in Victoria Square in the town centre.
Cut carbon emissions
The council says the dimming will be undetectable to the human eye and will save money.
Councillor Ismail Ibrahim said the council plans to cut carbon emissions by a third by December 2013.
He added: "Through this investment we will be improving existing street lighting installations that have been installed more than 10 years ago.
"This will involve removing the old-style lanterns and replacing them with LED lamps in more than 300 locations around the borough."
The council says the new LED bulbs are dimmable and can be more easily controlled by a central computer management system.
It also hopes to limit the use of illuminated signs and bollards in the future.
Source: BBC
