Over the past week, rising streetlight costs have led to several UK counties announcements of overhauling inefficient streetlights with more energy efficient LED streetlights. The total number of streetlights to be retrofitted by two boroughs and one council is expected to reach 50,420.

The Poole Council for instance recently announced plans of spending £10 million (US $16.80 million) to replace 17,420 streetlights in a town in Dorset over a period of six years, according to a BBC report. The council expects the new streetlights, which will be turned on the whole night instead of being switched off between midnight to 6:00 Am in the initial proposal, will save £20 million in energy costs over a period of 30 years. To complete the project, the council has even approved a streetlight retrofit bank loan.

Other boroughs in UK also have plans of scaling up LED streetlight replacements. The Wokingham Borough Council announced the unanimous approval of investing £11.6 million in new streetlights to cut energy bills, according to a Getreading report. While the Poole Council reported energy bills having doubled over the last decade, Wokingham Borough Council authorities noted streetlight costs have amounted to £600,000 in 2013. An estimated 16,000 streelights will be retrofitted throughout the council, and the council claims at the end of 20 years, the new LED streetlights will be able to save the council £14 million.

Not to be left out, the Thurrock Council recently announced plans of taking a £ 6 million bank loan to overhaul 17,000 streetlights with LEDs, according to a Thurrock Gazette report.

Rising energy costs and LED streetlights lower maintenance costs were the common cited reasons behind UK city councils embrace of LED technology. Some cities in UK have chosen to switch off streetlights during certain periods in the night, such as Essex, but as Thurrock Council noted it is not really an option if night time street safety is to be taken into consideration.