Sydney's LED light program awarded

The City of Sydney has been recognised for its $7 million program to install new LED street and park lights across its entire city centre, becoming the first city in Australia to do so. The City was awarded for leadership and innovation at this year’s Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (NSW) annual awards.

Public lighting accounts for a third of the City of Sydney’s annual electricity use and 30% of its greenhouse gas emissions. The new LEDs will reduce emissions by 2861 tonnes each year - the equivalent of taking 940 cars off the road.

“Replacing 6450 conventional lights will save nearly $800,000 a year in electricity bills and maintenance costs,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. She added that the LED lighting program has already reduced associated emissions and energy use by over 40%.

LEDs can save up to 75% of energy compared with incandescent light sources, while lasting up to 25 times longer. In a public survey conducted by the City after an 18-month trial, more than 90% of people said they found the new lighting appealing and 75% said it improved visibility.

The City of Sydney has welcomed the announcement by Ausgrid to follow suit on progressively replacing local road street lights with LED lamps. The NSW Government is also encouraging councils across Sydney to replace conventional street lights with LEDs.

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