KINGSTON Council is cutting greenhouse gas and reducing the burden of rising electricity bills by installing over 7,500 street lights with energy-efficient LED globes.
Kingston mayor Cr Steve Staikos said council’s $2.9 million investments in the new lights is leading the way in reducing greenhouse emissions and reducing the burden of increasing energy costs on ratepayers.
“This initiative will replace the majority of Kingston’s street lights with energy-efficient lighting that will save energy and drastically reduce our impact on the environment,” Cr Staikos said.
“By reducing the money spent on energy bills for lighting the city, council will be able to redirect savings to other important projects to improve services for our residents.”
The new lights will:
- save 55,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over 20 years, equivalent to removing more than 600 cars from the road each year
- pay for themselves in the next six years, after which savings can be directed into services
- improve safety and light levels in streets
- reduce light pollution and glare
The rollout of energy-efficient LEDs in Kingston will begin in coming weeks and is expected to be completed by July.
“Our current streetlights need replacing, so we are taking the opportunity to install the far more energy efficient LED globes that will save money while keeping our public streets well lit,” Cr Staikos said.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 7 February 2018
