Lights out for older street lamps

Lights out for older street lamps

As many as 4,000 street lights at 500 roads will be replaced with more energy-efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LED) lighting from this month, as part of an ongoing programme by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The lights, located along residential roads and areas with less traffic, have a lower wattage of about 70 to 150 watts, and are reaching the end of their product life, the LTA said in a statement yesterday.

Works will start later this month and be completed by the second half of 2018, added the agency.

The LTA is also exploring the use of LED technology for higher wattage lamps along major arterial roads and expressways, and is now trying them out along Toa Payoh Lorong 1 in a trial that will end by 2016.

This is to study "energy consumption, durability and maintenance challenges", the LTA said.

It first conducted a three-year trial on LED lamps, installing 17 LED lights on existing lamp posts along Northumberland Road and Tekka Lane in Little India.

These have a white glow, compared to the orange ones emitted by the high-pressure sodium vapour lamps in use now.

The LED lights can offer up to 30 per cent energy savings, but also meet the required lighting standards, said the LTA.

But while LED lights use less electricity, more lamps may be needed to match the quality of lighting achieved by the lamps in use today.

They can also cost 60 per cent to 80 per cent more than conventional ones, but can last up to twice as long.

Singapore could save S$10 million a year if its 96,000 street lamps are converted to LED types.


This article was first published on July 9, 2014.
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