Nottingham City Council has begun replacing Nottingham’s streetlights with LED versions, improving safety while bringing in annual savings of around £1.5m.

Nottingham City Council successfully bid for £7m from the Government’s Levelling Up fund, which will be used to replace 34,000 conventional lanterns with LED light sources. These will use less energy, reduce maintenance costs and will provide the best long-term street lighting for Nottingham.

The replacement programme is being undertaken on the council’s behalf by Tay Valley Lighting, working with their sub-contractor Enerveo. Work started in Sherwood ward last month and the citywide programme is due to be completed by March 2024. The City Council expects the new LED lights to save both energy and maintenance costs for the city. Annual electricity consumption of streetlights will come down, saving in the region of £1.3m a year, with an additional saving of around £169,000 a year in maintenance costs.

Other benefits of LED streetlights include:

  • Maintaining lighting levels in guidance with the latest British Standards
  • White light improves visibility, helping people feel safer
  • LEDs have a longer life span and are more reliable
  • LEDs are much more energy efficient.

Councillor Audra Wynter, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Transport and Parks said: “After careful planning by our transport teams and partners at Enerveo, I’m pleased that the huge project to replace 34,000 streetlights with LED versions has begun.

“This upgrade supports the goal to make Nottingham carbon-neutral by 2028. The benefits include  supporting a reduction in carbon emissions by saving energy and reducing light pollution, as well as helping people to feel safer in our streets, and providing clearer images on CCTV, traffic cameras and dashcam footage for the benefit of public safety.”

Tay Valley Director Tom Cunningham said: “We are delighted to support Nottingham’s plan to improve the environment by reducing carbon emissions through energy consumption savings and future maintenance visits to the assets. The LED replacements will also provide energy and maintenance cost saving benefits to the City Council especially at a time when energy costs are increasing.”  

Greg Mcnally, Nottingham PFI Operations Manager for Enerveo, said: “Enerveo are excited to be undertaking this unique opportunity to work alongside the authority by improving street lighting, reducing carbon emissions and providing a more sustainable future for the city.”