Brighter future for Surrey’s residents
Author: Surrey County Council |
Surrey County Council has signed a groundbreaking contract that will transform the county’s street lighting system, with the biggest roll out of revolutionary new energy saving technology in the country.
Overall the agreement is expected to save Surrey taxpayers at least 12 million.
This deal will see private sector consortium Skanska Laing installing bright white lights to replace the current inefficient orange glow street lamps. Individual lighting columns will be remotely controlled from a new control centre in Merrow, near Guildford. In the first five years of the contract all of the county’s 89,000 lights will be upgraded ? 70,000 being replaced and 19,000 refurbished. This will lead to savings of around 60,000 tonnes of carbon and 150 million kilowatt hours over the 25-year contract.
Key features of the deal include the following:
* The bright white lights are more effective than the existing orange ones.
* The cutting edge technology will be better for the environment thanks to increased energy savings and reduced carbon emissions. At present Surrey’s street lights are programmed to come on and go off at set times in the day, so there are no opportunities to make energy savings. Under the new system lighting will be increased where it is most needed, and reduced where it is not ? for example as the sun begins to rise in the morning.
* Lights will be repaired more quickly and efficiently with the new remote monitoring technology. This will mean broken and faulty lights will be automatically reported via the system, providing more consistent and reliable lighting for residents. This will help people feel safer at night on Surrey’s streets, and could also reduce night time traffic accidents.
Dr Andrew Povey, Leader of Surrey County Council, said: “This deal is the right choice for Surrey because the benefits for residents are clear. Bright white lights managed by remote control will mean a more reliable system that will help people to feel safer. All this will cost less to run than if we were to maintain the county’s current ageing orange lights. This will deliver better value for money for taxpayers all round.