New Streetlights for Smarter Energy Use

A new style of whiter and energy-efficient streetlights is to be trialled on two New Plymouth streets.

From next week, 70 streetlights on sections of Tukapa Street and Heta Road will be replaced with LED lights. The work on Tukapa Street will be from Sanders to Omata roads, and on Heta Road from Cumberland Street to Branch Road.

Manager Roading Assets Max Aves says the trial will examine the different quality of light and also the associated energy use.

“We expect power consumption by these LED lights to be up to 50 per cent less than it is now,” he says.

“With this new system, there is also an option at a later date of adapting the light levels in the early hours of the morning, when traffic is at its lightest, to see if we can achieve a further 20 per cent less power use while keeping the streets safe.

“There will be surveys of residents on these streets before the trial starts and a few weeks into it, to find out what they think. I also invite other users of these two streets to give us feedback on the effectiveness of the new lighting.”

The new LED lights have a white light compared to the existing orange lighting, giving better colour rendition and a greater sense of safety.

LED lights are used increasingly in other parts of New Zealand and internationally. NPDC has about 8,000 streetlights in total across its road network.

Tukapa Street was selected for the trial as it is a key arterial road lit with old technology streetlights which require upgrading to meet modern streetlighting standards. Heta Road’s streetlights come from a mix of recent and 1980s subdivisions.

The first residents’ survey will begin at the end of this week, and the streetlights’ four-week installation will start at the beginning of August.

This project is part of a Council-wide energy savings programme which last month won the EECA Public Sector Award. The $60,000 project is being facilitated under a partnership arrangement with major LED lighting supplier Philips NZ Ltd.