In July, Cornwall Council will begin a countywide street light upgrade project. The project will run over the next three years. It will see the majority of our 55,000 streetlights replaced with new LED fittings. The project will be completed by Enerveo, our term maintenance contractor.
This project is essential due to the following reasons;
- The commitment by Cornwall Council to be Carbon Neutral Cornwall by 2030
- A worldwide component shortage for maintaining our current stock. As well as much of the stock reaching end of life
- Increasing surge in energy costs
We are investing £15.5 million over a three-year period to convert all the streetlights to LED. We currently spend £1.6 million a year on energy use for streetlights. By converting to LED, we will use around 65% less energy. This will save £0.6 million a year (as of prices at October 2020). If energy prices continue to rise as predicted, the saving will be even greater.
There will not be a reduction in Council Tax as a result of this replacement programme. Each year there are increasing pressures on the Council's funding. Converting the lights to LED is one of many measures we are taking to contribute to making savings.
In the past, shields have been installed where light glare has been an issue for residents. We believe the new lanterns will reduce the need for shields. This is due to the light source being set into the body of the lantern rather than protruding. We have also chosen a lantern that has a higher number of LEDs but a low running current. This is more comfortable to the human eye as it creates a less intense point of light. If light glare is an issue one month after installation, please contact using the link below;
