ABOUT 10 per cent of the street lights in The Hills will be replaced with LED lights to save power.
It will also save 8860 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the 20-year life of the lights — equivalent to lighting more than 11,000 homes a year.
The Hills will have 1400 lights changed. All up, the project will see almost 13,000 lights changed in nine councils across the region — The Hills, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Liverpool, Parramatta and Penrith — saving 74,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 20 years.
The Light Years Ahead plan of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils will save the councils about $21 million over 20 years and was funded in part by the federal government.
"Public lighting costs millions each year, with street lighting at 55 per cent of our councils' energy costs"
- — Cr Tony Hadchiti
The roll-out was launched in Penrith on May 22 with Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science, Karen Andrews, WSROC president Councillor Tony Hadchiti, MPs Fiona Scott and Louise Markus and the mayors of Penrith and Hawkesbury.
It will deliver savings for residents of each council, with estimated energy savings of about $1.08 million a year and an estimated saving in energy efficiency of up to 60 per cent.
"Public lighting costs millions each year, with street lighting at 55 per cent of our councils' energy costs," Cr Hadchiti said.
"Anything councils can do to reduce costs lets us redirect funding to other projects and infrastructure."
It's due to run from next month to the end of next May, focusing on residential street lights. There will be no replacements on main roads, in parks and recreation spaces, sports fields, industrial areas or shopping areas.
It will cost about $7.9 million, with $5.3 million from the federal government and $2.6 million from the councils and WSROC.
Details, schedule: http://lightyearsahead.com.au.