Bright idea for remote control street light system could save council £70m

The new street lighting plans have been drawn up after forecasts revealed lights, coupled with emissions targets, could cost the authority between £75.8m and £128.6m by 2030 if the authority does not act.

Street lighting across the Wakefield district is currently provided under a Private Finance Initiative with the company, Amey, an agreement which has 17 years left to run and sees the responsibility for energy prices fall on the authority.

A report to Wakefield Council’s cabinet, which will meet next week, says energy costs for this year are expected to be £2.3m. But that is expected to rise to about £10m every year by the time the PFI comes to an end in 2030 - costing the council an estimated minimum of £75.8m.

The Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRCEE) will also see councils having to pay for an allowance for the emissions they produce, pushing costs up higher.

In a bid to keep them down, officers have drawn up plans to make street lighting cheaper and more energy efficient over the next 17 years. They include the introduction of a new Central Management System (CMS).

The report says: “CMSs allow individual street lights to be controlled remotely.

“This ensures that energy is only used when and where it is actually required.”

The cabinet will also look at introducing LED lights or “white light” which could cut energy consumption in half. Estimates put the cost of installing both a CMS and LED lighting at £14.8m.

The cabinet member for regeneration and economic growth, Coun Denise Jeffery said: “It is very important that we are proactive in looking at how we can mitigate against future increases in street lighting energy usage and price inflation in the most efficient way. We also need to explore how we deal with the cost of Carbon Reduction credits should the current Government proposals continue.”

She added: “This report is the first step in the process to enable us to plan for the future, deliver the best possible value for money and continue taking a pro-active approach to climate change.”