New, greener, streetlights will roll out across Hammersmith & Fulham’s road network in coming weeks.
The LED lamps, which use less energy and produce a more natural white light, than the traditional orange street lamp glow, will replace all streetlights in the borough by April 2018.
The switch to LED lights forms part of H&F Council’s ambition to be the greenest borough in the country, by saving energy, but the more natural light range should also enhance safety.
“These new lights use 50 per cent less energy than traditional lights and will not only slash our reliance on harmful fossil fuels, but also our running costs, meaning we can put that money towards other vital services for residents, while continuing to offer the best council tax deal in the country,” said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents’ Services.
“The light produced by these LEDs will help both motorists and pedestrians see more clearly at night and so could help reduce accidents, as well as deterring would-be criminals.”
Benefits of LED lights include:
- Use much less electricity than other lamps or bulbs, reducing energy costs
- Have extremely long lives compared to traditional lights
- Produce very little heat
- Reduces H&F’s carbon emissions, by reduced energy usage
- Contain no mercury
- Operate effectively in extremely cold and hot environments
- Produces a white light for the human eye to see natural colours at night
- Reduced ‘sky glow’ and glare
- Instantaneous and function at full output when switched on - no warm-up time.
The rollout was welcomed by Brook Green resident, Robert Jennings, who said: “I strongly welcome this energy-saving initiative and although I have not yet seen the new lights, I have heard about their better brightness with reduced light disbursement, which sounds excellent."
Neighbourhood Watch coordinator, Danuta Bildziuk, said: "We welcome the introduction of LED lighting in our streets as this will provide an improvement in the quality of light as well as being more cost effective to run and maintain.
"We believe it will also improve safety in public spaces, and reduce opportunities for crime. We also hope to see this lighting in those areas where previously the infrastructure and power demands made it impractical and expensive to install."
Work has already begun on installing the new bulbs on H&F’s main road network, with completion expected in the spring.
A second phase of works to roll out the lights into residential roads will follow later this year. The entire project is expected to be completed by April 2018.
For more information on LED streetlights, visit our FAQ page.
