Street care and cleaning Streetlights and the environment

Did you know?

It takes 5.55 million kilowatt-hours of power (and 1,237 tonnes of carbon) to run our 23,708 street lights, illuminated signs and traffic signals every year, which is the same amount of power used by 1,322 homes in a typical year.

Converting approximately 12,500 of these lights to part-night lighting will reduce energy use by 20% – a saving in the region of 1.11 million kilowatt-hours of power and almost 248 tonnes of carbon.

In addition, the following carbon reduction methods are in use or are being trialled in Shropshire.

Dimming/variable lighting

We now have the option to dim lights (to approximately 50% of light level) after midnight rather than switch off. This is mainly applicable to major roads and therefore only to a small percentage of our street lights.. We'll be looking at dimming all the appropriate street lights as part of our replacement programme.

Trimming street lighting

By updating to modern LED street lights and more precise photoelectric cells (light sensors) we can turn the lights on up to ½hr later at night and turn them off earlier in the morning. This can help to save further burning hours per year. All new installations should include trimming as standard.

Electronic conversion

Savings were already being made by converting to, wherever applicable, electronic switchgear and by using more effective photoelectric cells, which reduce switch-on times and use less energy. The programme for all applicable street lights was completed in April 2014.

LED

LED lanterns are a more efficient source of lighting using much less energy than its traditional counterparts, which are now being phased out. Following successful trials across Shropshire, an LED Street Lighting upgrade program was undertaken across the county and completed in mid-2024 leading to energy and carbon savings.