Local Council has a programme for replacement of all 15,000 street lamps with LEDs - to save, when fully installed,  an estimated 4% of the council's electrical spend.

 

http://www.iharrow.com/council/new-streetlights-on-the-way-to-harrow/

 

They appear to have reached my road this week and have installed  a new lamp standard (Of the height of the typical sport ground  lighting gantry ) to replace a single sodium lamp on a normal height lamp standard in the estate area behind my property.

 

Last night was the first night for switch on. I'm impressed.

 

The light produced by the LED  seems less intrusive than the existing sodium lamp and being located on a higher column, it illuminates all of the open ground i.e. paths car park, service road and flower beds/lawns - the old sodium barely lit the service road and path.

 

It has the added side benefit of discouraging the estate property for being used for various nefarious purposes.

 

Job well done Harrow council.

 

Seems that neighbouring Ealing had it done last year - presume that Harrow is the contractor's follow-on contract.

 

 

Nick

I've never seen such a positive post from you before. Job well done Nick.

Sheffield started their 25 year "Streets Ahead" project back in 2012 which includes replacing every street lamp with LED lights and also relaying all the roads, pavements and footpaths too. I believe it was the first of the schemes nationwide and other cities have now started theirs.

 

Our cul-de-sac was done a year or so ago now with the lighting being quite a difference as the old lights were the style that emitted light 360 degrees around rather than downwards so at first the LED lights seemed darker than the old lights. They did though seem to ramp them up slowly over a couple of nights with them starting on maybe 50% brightness at best but they are now on 100%. The three LED streetlights replaced four of the older lights so even more of a saving on our road.

 

Now though they seem fine. The ones used in Sheffield have three or four brightness settings of roughly 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of the LEDs lit depending on where the lights are located.... So the ones in the pathway at the end of our cul-de-sac being on something like 50% and the ones on the road being on 100%. They are also all individually controlled from a central control and when the scheme originally started it was said that residents would be able to team up and ask for lights to be made brighter or dimmer at certain times etc.... So they could be dimmed slightly after say 11pm etc.... Not sure if this has ever been done though.

 

I've also noticed a few of the new LED streetlights that have had shielding fitted behind and slightly below the light unit to stop them shining into bedroom windows of properties adjacent to them etc....

Edited 3 June, 201610 yr by WaveyDavey

We had ours done end of last year. With one of the lamps almost directly outside our bedroom window I find that the led lamps also are not as intrusive either

Plymouth is fairly well in on transfering to LED street lighting, it is very much a more directional light, much narrower beam. They just replaced the tops on most and haven't increased the height to give a wider spread so looks alot dimmer in the bits between lamp posts.

Where I am the lights are standard SON and all go off at 01:00hrs except main through road. The darkness is great just wish I could sleep past the morning chorus which with my windows slightly ajar is an amazing sound but does wake me around 04:00 hrs everyday.

Edited 3 June, 201610 yr by Defenderben

I've never seen such a positive post from you before. Job well done Nick.

You know what they say, plagurising the popular phrase,  "Into each life a little  ***** (light) will fall", however unintended and rare.

 

Nick

Harrow was due to start this back in 2008 but, you recall, the REMAIN campaign (The financial institutions of the City of London) had other ideas.

 

Very effective stuff - like a minor "Bucket of sunshine".

 

Of course the question is "What's the downside" - RFI on TVs is at least one, but I haven't noticed it yet.

 

Nick

I think the narrower focus of light is poorer actually. The new LED ones we have on a path behind us though, are far better than the old cruddy thing that was there before. 

I've forgotten what street lighting is living out here

Had them on the estate I live for a couple of years now, nice light which is auto dimmed from around midnight to 5am.