Australia’s first grid-wide rollout of LED streetlights set to begin

Australia’s first grid-wide rollout of LED streetlights is expected to begin this month, under plans being put to more than 40 local councils throughout Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter.

About 10,000 LED streetlights would be installed each year under the proposal, saving councils millions of dollars in maintenance and energy costs over the life of the LEDs.

“We have tested these lights to make sure they use less electricity and are easier to maintain,” Ausgrid Energy Efficiency expert Paul Myors said.

“We are meeting with councils to go through the detail of the proposal. However, we know it will save them a significant amount of money, without compromising on the quality of an important community service.

“Under the rollout, when a standard light on a suburban street breaks, it will be replaced with a super-efficient LED.”

The LEDs would be assembled and supplied by Central Coast-based company Sylvania Lighting.

The majority of streetlights in residential areas use between 46 and 95 W and require regular globe replacement; however, the LEDs that Ausgrid trialled use as little as 29 W.

The life span of LEDs is expected to be over 20 years, so councils will pay less for maintenance as well as power. The trial has been conducted by Ausgrid over the past 18 months at eight locations in Sydney and the Central Coast. It was designed to test actual energy use, performance under Australian conditions and response from residents and motorists.

Results so far show: electricity use reduced by up to 70%, depending on what type of light was replaced; short-term maintenance is minimal; residents prefer the light output of LEDs.

Councils have expressed interest in LED streetlights through the trial. Residents have also told Ausgrid they prefer the LEDs in terms of brightness, colour and light distribution.

The trial included replacing a mixture of mercury vapour and fluorescent lights with three different types of LED streetlights. A total of 62 lights were replaced across the eight different locations and results were dependent on the mixture of the lights replaced and the type of LED installed.