Bolton Switches More Than Half Of Street Lights To LEDs

Just as many more businesses are turning to LED lighting panels to provide brighter, more affordable lighting options for stores, restaurants and offices, another major UK city has made a big commitment to changing how it light certain areas for its residents.

Bolton is the latest place in the UK to convert traditional sodium street lights to LEDs, with reports by the Bolton News confirming that over half of the street light in the city have been converted. That equates to over 15,000 lights in 2,463 streets throughout Bolton since April 2015.

However, by the time the works are complete, almost every street light in the city will have been replaced – estimated at 26,000.

The LED lights will reduce energy consumption through street lighting by 50 per cent, and with Bolton council spending an £2.1 million on energy bills and £100,000 on CO2 emissions every year, the savings will soon add up. In fact, the scheme is estimated to potentially save the council £14 million over the next 20 years, in spite of the initial expenditure.

LED lighting also lasts far longer than the traditional street light bulb, racking up 100,000 hours before needing to be replaced, compared to just 15,000 for a sodium street light. This means less expense on bulbs as well as less time spent with technicians changing them.

They also provide better light for capturing images on CCTV and are brighter, meaning they’ll keep areas better lit to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe come night time.