A three-year programme to convert around 24,000 borough street lights to LED will get underway next month.

After successfully converting 7,100 lights on the borough’s main roads, Dudley Council has this week awarded the contract to Fitzgerald Civil Engineering Contractors to convert the remaining street lights over the coming three years.

Energy efficient LED lighting costs less to run, is considered more effective and is also flexible, so levels can be adjusted to suit the area, or dimmed at certain times of the night.

As it moves through the programme of replacement, the council will also be assessing whether the level of lighting is suitable for each area to meet the needs of residents and making changes where needed.

Lampposts will also be assessed as part of the programme and replaced where necessary.

The conversion programme is part of the council’s invest to save project, with the cost of the initial outlay being part covered by the savings on electricity.

The new LED bulbs will almost halve the energy used by the bulbs they are replacing and, once complete, will reduce consumption by approximately three million kWh per year. Councillor Damian Corfield, cabinet member for highways and environment, said:  

“I’m delighted we now have a contractor in place so we can continue with the next phase of our street lamp replacement programme.

“This is a major scheme, which will see a massive overhaul of our street lighting across the borough.”

Councillor Dr Rob Clinton, cabinet member for waste management and climate change, added:

“We are always looking at ways we can reduce our carbon footprint and take action to reduce our carbon emissions.

“This is a great example of how the council is investing now to reduce our energy use for decades to come and save money at the same time.”