LEDs to light up Western Sydney streets

The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) is launching the Light Years Ahead project - an initiative to replace approximately 13,000 mercury street lights with energy-efficient LED lights.

The project launch will take place in Penrith on 22 May, with VIPs including Karen Andrews, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister for Industry and Science, expected to attend. Installation of new lights will then begin in June, with the rollout staggered across nine WSROC councils - Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, The Hills, Holroyd, Liverpool, Parramatta and Penrith.

WSROC President Cllr Tony Hadchiti revealed that the venture is “the biggest street lighting replacement project NSW has ever seen”, replacing over 10% of the councils’ 126,955 street lights. He noted that street lighting dominates 55% of the councils’ energy costs, “so anything councils can do to reduce costs allows us to redirect funding to other projects, infrastructure and wider services”.

Over 20 years, the project will:

• reduce street light energy consumption by 77%;
• reduce council energy costs by approximately $21 million;
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 74,000 tonnes - the equivalent to taking 17,209 cars off the road each year.

The project will also encourage Western Sydney residents to review their own energy practices and consumption. WSROC and council staff will share energy-saving tips with residents, which can be found on the project website at www.lightyearsahead.com.au.

Image credit: Lighting the Regions, Vic.