Streetlight upgrade reduces council costs by £750,000 on an ongoing basis while cutting carbon emissions

The ambitious council programme to upgrade all the borough’s streetlights to modern standards is almost completed. 

Most of the existing lamp posts on the borough’s streets have had their old lamps swapped with modern LED equivalents, with the remainder switched by early 2026. Some old lampposts near the end of their life have also been replaced with new posts with LED lamps. 

The change to high efficiency lighting will reduce costs by £750,000 pounds on the council’s electricity bill on an ongoing basis, and the significant reduction in electricity usage will ensure that the costs remain lower if energy prices continue to rise.

Councillor Ian Manders, Portfolio Holder for Climate Action, Biodiversity and Planning Policy, said:

“This project shows the council being green and saving taxpayers’ money. 

 

“The new lamps use less electricity, and have a longer life than the old lamps, saving on the cost of power and maintenance”.

Phil Lain, Contracts Manager from VolkerHighways, said:

“VolkerHighways is proud to have facilitated the significant reduction in energy costs for the Royal Borough of Kingston, contributing to their climate action targets through the reduction of emissions and future maintenance”.

Helping to tackle climate change while working toward a greener and safer borough for current and future generations is a key priority for Kingston Council.

The upgrade will reduce the council’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding 11,250 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 25 years, contributing to the borough’s climate saving targets.

The financial savings delivered by this upgrade are also important. Like most councils across the country, Kingston faces a huge challenge to meet the rising costs of essential social and children’s services, without adequate funding from central government.

You can find out more about the council’s work to tackle climate change at www.kingston.gov.uk/climate.