Council leaders will consider proposals to install energy saving LED lamps in all Bracknell Forest street lights within three years.

If approved, the GBP 7.3 million (US $11.27 million) 'invest to save' project would begin next March to ensure all 14,500 street lights in the borough are LED by 2019. The savings would come from reduced energy consumption, less routine maintenance, fewer breakdowns and less routine bulb replacements. The work would be carried out by the council's street lighting contractor, Ringway.

The current cost of maintaining street lighting in the borough, including electricity costs, is around GBP 730,000 a year. The project, if approved by Bracknell Forest Council's Executive next week (20 October), is expected to save GBP 8 million over 25 years, and significantly reduce Bracknell Forest Council's carbon footprint.

Vincent Paliczka, the council's director of environment, culture and communities, said: "An investment in LED lighting will reap significant financial benefits for council tax payers in the long term. LED lights are much more energy efficient and last much longer. This means lower energy bills and less maintenance.

"We are currently replacing our street lighting with LED on an ad hoc basis, but this will take many years to complete at the current rate, resulting in the council needlessly wasting money on energy costs.

"The proposals to replace the lighting within a three year period, starting next year, would ensure we make the savings more quickly and ensure our council tax payers are getting value for money.

"In addition, all the street lights would be brought under a computer controlled central management system which allows for further efficiencies in operations and maintenance."

The council is about to begin its next planned phase of year to year street light replacement, starting at the beginning of November and running for three months.
This work will replace around 300 concrete old lighting columns in the south of the borough with new galvanised steel columns and energy efficient LED lamps.