£500,000 drive to modernise outdated city street lighting

Plans to cut the amount of energy used to light York's historic streets and save tens of thousands of pounds for taxpayers each year are due to be given the go-ahead next week.

The city has almost 20,000 lighting units including signs, street-lights, lit bollards, floodlights and beacons, and the service has been set a target of reducing its energy consumption by a quarter during the next five years.

An extra 100,000 was spent on the street lighting service last year to reduce the amount of energy used, and an additional 450,000 has now been allocated for the next phase of the scheme.

York Council's executive member for neighbourhood services, Coun Ann Reid, is due to approve plans next Tuesday to save more than 70,000 on energy bills as part of a drive to reduce the authority's overall carbon emissions by 10 per cent during this year alone.

Coun Reid said: "The savings mean the cost of carrying out these improvements will be recouped in just over six years.

"The new lighting also gives a whiter light compared to the orange glow from the old lights and looks much better and as well as providing better visibility.

"We have set the council some challenging targets for reducing carbon emissions.

"To meet these targets we need to look at eliminating wasteful old technology and invest in new systems that allow us to provide the same level lighting in a more efficient way."

Plans for this financial year include replacing the remaining 1,500 mercury vapour lanterns with 42-watt compact fluorescent lanterns, reducing energy use by 50 per cent. A network of 50 bollards are due to be replaced with solar-powered units, while up to 100 signs that do not need to be lit will not be illuminated.

The time when street lighting is switched on and off is also due to be changed to take account of quicker switch-on times provided by new technology.

York Council is aiming to cut its carbon footprint by about 1,200 tonnes during this financial year – excluding emissions generated by its schools and outsourced services.