£21m project to switch more than 44,000 streetlights to energy-saving LEDs is now complete

In 2023-24 alone, the lights have reduced the council’s energy bill by at least £6million.

The cost of powering Wakefield district’s streetlights is around £250,000 a month on average, but without LEDs the council says the cost would be nearer £750,000 a month.

Coun Matthew Morley, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Highways, said: “The LED streetlighting programme is a great example of how the Council is investing in new technology to save money and develop our infrastructure so it’s fit for the future.

“It will be completed ahead of schedule and save even more money and energy than expected.”

The new streetlights have also reduced energy use by more than 80 per cent – higher than the expected reduction of 65 per cent at the start of the programme.

Carbon emissions are down to less than a quarter of what they were three years ago, saving more than 4,000 tonnes of carbon a year and will help the council towards being net zero by 2030.

The project, a partnership between Wakefield Council and Amey, has cost £21m, which the council says will be recouped within a decade.

The project has also brought in a new central management system that means the network can be controlled centrally, rather than by visiting each column individually, and information is sent back so any faults can be identified quickly and repaired.

The neutral, white light from LEDs means that road markings and signs can be seen more easily, and CCTV footage is clearer.