Albany council to consider $2.5m plan to switch old street lights for energy saving LEDs

A project to replace the City of Albany’s 4000 street lights with LEDs is expected to cost $2.5 million and cut greenhouse gas emissions emitted by street lighting by 50 per cent.

City of Albany councillors will tomorrow night consider a recommendation for a bulk street light replacement, if the City is successful in securing a grant for the project.

There are about 4000 existing mercury-based street lights in Albany with an estimated annual cost of $670,000, according to a City officer’s report.

The City plans to switch out old technology with energy-saving LEDs, after a multi-council commissioned business case supported the viability of bulk lighting replacement.

“LED street lighting has been proven to make roads safer, save money by using energy more efficiently and cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than half,” the report said.

It is estimated to cost about $2.5 million.

The City has already applied for a Clean Energy Future Fund grant to cover 25 per cent of the project or $625,000.

“The remaining $1.875 million is expected to be funded via a seven-year loan, to be proposed in the City’s Financial Year 2021-22 budget,” the report said.

“If the City is unsuccessful in their grant application, there will be a funding shortfall of $625,000.

“For the project to proceed, the additional $625,000 required will need to be obtained from some other means, which the council will need to endorse.”

If council chooses not to support the proposal, the lights would be replaced with LEDs gradually as existing lights fail.