New LED lights could save City Council €1.4m a year

The installation of a new LED lighting system in the city has already saved Galway City Council €200,000.

And this week the fast=tracking of the initiative has been hailed by two city councillors.

Sinn Féin Councillor Cathal Ó Conchúir and his colleague Anna Marley welcomed the work undertaken by Galway City Council.

Councillor Ó Conchúir had previously called on both county and city local authorities to follow the examples of  Los Angeles and Las Vegas in implementing LED lighting.

He pointed out that upon implementation both US cities found that LED lighting achieved actual savings of 63%, far in excess of their estimated savings of 40%.

“Galway City Council has implemented 300 LED Street lighting and control upgrades in the city since then. They have also have installed LED and upgrades to city traffic lights.

“These are  shining examples to other local authorities on how to save money and how also to protected our environment.

“Last year alone these implementations have saved Galway City Council around €200,000 and this is just the tip of the iceberg. As the scheme is rolled out we will see more and more savings in this area,” Cllr Ó Conchúir said.

“These are the type of proposals that I and my Sinn Féin colleagues have been most vocal about since we were elected. We predicted in 2014 that that there would be at the very least a €1.4 million saving on energy bills if the City Council invested in a total change to LED lighting.

“The figures published on last year’s spend show that like LA and Las Vegas the full LED replacement in the city will actually surpass this.”

Cllr Marley also welcomed the decision by Galway City Council to install LED lights throughout Shantalla where works are expected to commence in June.

“LED lighting was installed along the Newcastle Rd, Costello Rd, Ash Rd and Shantalla Rd early last year but plans are now afoot to roll out the scheme across Shantalla.

“This is a positive development for the local community and something that had been requested by the area’s residents’ association. LED lighting is beneficial to the environment in that it lowers energy costs and reduces consumption. This has obvious financial benefit also.

“An argument also exists regarding the use of such lighting in attempts to curb anti-social behaviour and crime. LED bulbs are brighter than their predecessor and some believe it subsequently deters burglaries and provides increased security in housing estates. This point was raised at the recent JPC meeting in City Hall.

“For reasons of environment and safety, I welcome this development and will continue to argue for the introduction of LED lighting throughout the City. Of course there will be a significant cost initially, but the long term benefits greatly outweigh this,” Cllr Marley added.