Around a third of street lights on main roads in the borough have now been converted to LED, a report has revealed.

Dudley Council’s cabinet will be told the first two phases of a scheme to replace all lights on main roads and make them more energy efficient have been completed. Around 2,000 street lights on main roads in the borough have now been converted, which is more than 30 per cent of the total work.

More than 700 lanterns have been purchased for installation as part of the third phase of the project, with council bosses aiming to replace every street light by 2020. LED lighting costs less to run, is considered more effective and is also flexible as it can be dimmed at certain times of the night. Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for environmental services, said:

"The ongoing programme to replace our street lights with improved, less expensive more energy efficient LED bulbs is part of the council’s Invest to Save project.

"The outlay will be more than covered by the savings we make on electricity, and because we will be using less it will ease pressure on the network. It’s great to see the scheme is progressing well and I look forward to seeing it fully rolled out."

Nationally, the demand for electricity is highest between the months of November and February, between 4pm and 7pm. At this time the margin between the electricity generated and that required by households and business is at its tightest.

Once complete, the project will reduce peak demand by 100KW, the equivalent of around 800 kettles continuously boiling.

The update will be discussed at the next meeting of the cabinet, which takes place on Wednesday September 12 at the Council House in Priory Road, Dudley.