€3.8m bill to replace 5,000 lights with low-energy LED bulbs

Westmeath is one of 10 county councils around the country which are replacing all their traditional public lights with lower-energy LED alternatives – a project with an estimated cost of €3.8m.

“We have about 5300 of these to be replaced,” director of services, Barry Kehoe, told members of the council’s Planning and Transportation SPC at their September meeting, going on to reveal that a contract has now been signed between Kilkenny County Council, on behalf of the participating local authorities, with a preferred contractor.

“It’s a big project… and it will take some time. The contractor is going to work through those counties in order and when the contractor comes to this county, he will work through on a municipal district by municipal district basis,” Mr Kehoe told the meeting, adding that once the SON and SOX sodium lights have been replaced there will be a benefit to the council in terms of the energy costs.

The contractor is not, however, expected to begin work in Westmeath until the middle of 2024.

“Luckily enough members, we are in a contract on low tariff energy for public lighting – an unmetered supply until 2024. So the timing of this is good for us in that we’re on that low tariff until the lights are replaced with LEDs. So at that stage then, we benefit in our new tariff from the lower energy consumption.”

Mr Kehoe went on to explain that in the meantime, in the case of any burnt-out SOX and SONs that need replacing, LEDs are being installed, and this year to date, over 600 such replacements have been made. In addition, it is LEDs that are being used in any new schemes.

SPC member Alison Hough commented that LEDs are brighter than the old halogen lights and therefore, an issue of light pollution is now arising. This can be countered through the use of downlighting, and she asked if that be considered.

Mr Kehoe said that the replacement lights are more “directional” than the old ones and that there will be less light spillage.

“We’re aware of an issue with the whiteness of the light and it has been specified within the contract that the lights would have a certain Kelvin value. Kelvin is the measure of that whiteness. And we’re going for a lower Kelvin value because it has less impact on wildlife and less environmental impact.”