GE Lighting LEDs light up Wanganui City Bridge - sustainably

The Wanganui District Council in New Zealand has joined the growing number of councils upgrading their lighting with energy-efficient LED fittings to reduce power consumption and costs. The council installed 14 LED fittings from GE Lighting on the Wanganui City Bridge after trialling several different LED options. Over the life of the fittings, the new lights may save the council up to NZ$9000 in reduced power and maintenance costs - a payback period of 6.2 years.

The council conducted a trial of different LED light sources for the bridge, seeking an energy-efficient solution that would improve illumination. Evolve NZ offered the council GE’s 80 W R150 LED lamps as a potential solution. The council found that the GE lights deliver a 52% power saving compared with the existing sodium lights on the bridge. The LEDs direct the light to where it is needed, ensuring no wasted upward light leakage and reducing glare from the fitting to less than 5%.

The Wanganui City Bridge lit up with LEDs from GE Lighting.

“There are clearly a range of potential benefits and savings for the public,” said Councillor Ray Stevens, Chair of the Infrastructure and Property Committee of Wanganui District Council. “The public will notice that the new LED light fittings create a ‘white light’ rather than an ‘orange glow’ from the sodium lights which were previously installed.”

“The white LED light makes for a more modern and vibrant atmosphere in the night space, a space where it is easier to see the real colours of life,” said John Birks, General Manager of Evolve NZ. “We are expecting that this type of lighting will bring more people out to enjoy the city where we live.”

The LEDs can last up to 15 years; over the same period, sodium fittings like those previously installed on the bridge would need to be changed three to four times. The lights also help improve safety on the bridge: they improve visibility and enhance the effectiveness of security cameras.

The Managing Director of GE Lighting Australia & New Zealand, Nathan Dunn, said, “As businesses and councils alike face increasing pressure to become more carbon efficient, making changes to their lighting is one of the easiest ways to make a difference.”