More than 1,000 Dudley borough street lights have already been converted to energy efficient LED in the first month of a three-year replacement programme.

Around 24,000 are to be replaced by Dudley Council in this latest programme, which follows the successful conversion of 7,100 lights on the borough’s main roads in recent years.

By the end of the three years, all of the borough’s streets will have energy efficient LED lighting. This 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 part of 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 and replaced where necessary. 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:

“We have made a great start to this programme of upgrading and converting our street lighting to energy efficient LED.

“This is a significant project and investing now will not only save money on our energy bills, but these lamps also have a longer lifespan.”

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

“We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and upgrading our street lighting to LED, which emits less carbon than traditional lights, will bring more efficient and environmentally friendly lighting to streets across our borough.

“We’re investing now to reduce our energy use for decades to come and save money at the same time.”