We are committed to making Cambridgeshire a greener place to live and work. Reducing the existing carbon usage of street lights is therefore vital to achieving net zero carbon emissions from our assets by 2030.
In October 2023, the Highways and Transport Committee approved plans to introduce new low-carbon street lighting across the county.
From December 2024, our street lighting contractor Balfour Beatty started work on our countywide street light replacement programme across Cambridgeshire.
The roll out of newer, more efficient LED (light emitting diode) street lights is expected to cut energy consumption from street lighting by more than half.
We will be replacing over 47,000 existing street lights with new LED street lights over two years, so approximately 2,000 street lights will be replaced each month.
Benefits
Carbon savings
We expect that this will save more than 5,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the lifetime of the street lights.
Reduced maintenance costs
LED street lights do not need to be changed like the existing lights. Our contractor should only need to to clean and electrically test the new lights every six years. LED technology is very reliable and there should be very few instances of street lights failing or not coming on at night.
The new street lights are designed for 20 years of continuous life, with no maintenance other than cleaning required.
Improved lighting
The new LEDs will increase visibility, making roads safer for road users and pedestrians. The environment will appear ‘brighter’ due to the shift from orange to white light.
In isolated rural areas, a ‘softer’ white light will be used. This is slightly less energy-efficient but is beneficial for wildlife including bats.
Reduced light pollution
The new lights will emit zero upward light, and much-reduced sideways light. This should improve ‘sky glow’, particularly over Cambridge city, and will reduce light trespass into homes and gardens.
Programme details
If you have a standard, Cambridgeshire County Council street light near your home, the light will be replaced within the next two years.
Our contractor will be carrying out replacements almost every month in Cambridge itself. In smaller towns and villages, our contractor is intending to carry out replacements in clusters so they can complete an area and move on, hopefully minimising any disruption.
Visit the Balfour Beatty website for details of when the street lights in your area will be changed and helpful FAQs.
FAQs
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns about the programme, please contact our contractor : CCCLED@balfourbeatty.com