Wellington switches to eco-friendly streetlights

The new streetlights will be safer and more energy efficient. File photo/Greg Bowker

Wellington's streets will soon be awash with an eco-friendly glow.

Wellington City Council is installing LED streetlights across the city in a bid to lower energy consumption and improve public safety.

The 14,500 energy-efficient streetlights are expected to reduce the city's streetlight energy bill from $684,000 a year to a projected $225,000.

Alongside cost-savings, safety is a key consideration in the city's shift to LED street lighting, said Chris Calvi-Freeman, councillor and council portfolio leader for transport strategy and operations.

"As well as appearing brighter, the LED streetlights' colour allows the human eye to better distinguish shapes at greater distances. If you're a pedestrian crossing the road at night, this is very important," he said.

"And it's not just a lower energy bill that will help save the ratepayer money; the LED streetlights are more robust and last significantly longer than the current lights. This will lead to fewer outages and much lower maintenance and replacement costs.

"Another key feature is they can be remotely dimmed and brightened through a central control system. They can also self-report faults and be set up on installation to direct light only where it is needed."

The LED streetlight roll-out has already started in Miramar, Paparangi and Khandallah, and is expected to be completed city-wide by mid-to-late year.

The full cost of the wider project is estimated to cost $17 million, which will largely be funded by a subsidy of up to $14.5m from the New Zealand Transport Agency.

According to council data, there are at least 18,552 streetlights in Wellington, and on average 4000 lights are renewed each year.

The current non LED bulbs normally last four or five years before needing replacing, but LED lamps are expected to last 20 years before needing replacing.