City’s street lights to be dimmed to cut carbon emissions

STREET LIGHTS across Sheffield will be dimmed to help reduce carbon emissions.

The old sodium, yellow glow traditional street lights have already been converted to lower energy, bright white LED lights.

In 2013, sodium lights resulted in 17,168 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Five years later, when all the lights had been converted to new LED lamps, this reduced to 6,848 tonnes.

A new system also means the council can adjust the times and intensity of lights on individual lampposts. Now, following a trial in Endcliffe, Meersbrook and Crosspool, lights will be dimmed across the city meaning a 10 per cent reduction in emissions.

Gillian Charters, of Sheffield Council, says in a report: “Historically, street lighting intensity has been set to accommodate the maximum amount of traffic density on a road.

“This density may only occur for short periods of the day such as morning and evening rush hour.

“As a result, for long periods, street lights are over- lighting the highway and neighbourhoods and adding to carbon emissions and light pollution as well as wasting money.

“Sheffield highways can be lit to a lower lighting class but we can still change and increase levels as necessary, such as a planned event or in response to an incident.”

She said light pollution would also be cut. For traffic routes, light intensity will reduce between sunset and 8pm and from 6am and sunrise during the winter. For residential areas, it will reduce between sunset and midnight and from 6am and sunrise during the winter.