NEW streetlights installed on Barnsley’s roads will save taxpayers an estimated £1.2m a year.
The upgrades, which started in 2018 with the council’s ‘Invest to Save’ scheme and its focus on zero-carbon energy, have seen more than 90 per cent of the council’s 33,091 streetlights replaced with more efficient alternatives.
A report will be presented to cabinet members on Wednesday outlining the benefits of the scheme, but the council claims the energy savings are equivalent to that needed to power 280m LED televisions for an hour and 2.25m standard dishwasher loads.
Coun Chris Lamb, cabinet spokesperson for place, said: “There are a huge number of benefits to replacing our old fashioned street lighting, including reduced light pollution, reduced carbon emissions, reduced maintenance costs, reduced disposal costs for the old lamps which contain harmful mercury, reduced fuel and the accompanying pollution while travelling to service those old lamps, and many more.
“The biggest reason we’ve done this though is the huge reduction in the amount of electricity we use, and the cost savings and environmental benefits of this. It helps protect the council and local taxpayers from the impact of increased electricity costs in the future.
“Many councils have had to dim or even switch off street lighting to save money, and I’m delighted we’ve been able to find another solution to this problem with all the many benefits it brings.”
