Barnet Council has revealed a plan to install LED lanterns in all its streetlights as part of an improvements programme aimed at saving £750,000 per year and improving the borough’s carbon footprint.
It said the new LED lighting will provide a better and brighter source of white light for pedestrians and motorists. Colours will appear more distinguishable so that objects look sharper and clearer at night, making the night time environment more attractive, and making it easier to drive safely.
It will also be more directional, concentrating light into the road and footway so that less light pollution reaches residents’ homes and gardens, and make it easier for CCTV cameras to pick up clear images of people’s faces after dark.
In addition, the new LED lanterns will have smart controls with functions that include an alert system to provide advanced notification when a streetlight is not functioning properly.
Barnet forecast the move will cut over 3,500kw per hour from its energy consumption.
Installation plan
The major phase of the conversion programme is scheduled to begin in mid-November, although a small number of LED lanterns have already been installed in the High Barnet area. The remainder will be installed on a ward-by-ward basis across the borough’s 26,000 streetlights, with work expected to be finished by the end of October 2020.
Councillor Dean Cohen, chair of the environment committee, said: “These lights will improve our street lighting, save us money and help us become more environmentally friendly as a council. I am very impressed with what I have seen of them so far, and I can’t wait for them to be rolled out across the whole borough.”
Image: Councillor Cohen in front of one of the new LED lanterns
