City of Ballarat shines the light on energy efficiency

Ballarat’s streetlighting has received a major upgrade with 6,750 lights replaced by energy efficient LEDs along the City of Ballarat’s smaller residential roads. 

The LED technology offers superior performance and life expectancy and will deliver significant cost savings and reduced environmental impact. 

Under this $3 million City of Ballarat-funded program, works began on 1 June 2021 in residential streets across the city and were completed in January this year. 

The initiative is a flagship action of the City of Ballarat’s Carbon Neutrality and 100% Renewables Action Plan and aligns with the strategic commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. 

Project highlights include: 

• 6,750 - The number of streetlights retrofitted with LED on minor residential roads 

• 80% - How much more energy efficient the new 17 watt LEDs are compared to the previous inefficient bulbs 

• 20 - The number of years of life expectancy for the LED lights compared to a four-year changing cycle for the previous bulbs 

• 6 - The number of years for a return on investment due to energy and annual maintenance cost savings 

• $9.8 million - The estimated savings for the City of Ballarat over 20 years 

• 2,000 - The number of tonnes the City of Ballarat will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by each year - equivalent to lighting 3,500 homes 

City of Ballarat Councillor, Belinda Coates said the new streetlights are significantly reducing carbon emissions and delivering energy and cost savings. 

"The new 17 watt LEDs use about 80 per cent less energy than standard mercury vapour streetlights,” she said. 

“Apart from offering lower costs and reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions, they provide a greater evenness of light along streets, better visibility and a reduction in lighting gaps across the city, as well as removing harmful mercury from manufacturing processes. 

“This LED streetlighting initiative will substantially reduce our energy consumption and reflects our commitment to reducing carbon emissions in our Carbon Neutrality and 100% Renewables Action Plan.” 

The new lights improve compliance with Australian road safety standards, provide less light spilling onto neighbouring properties and less light pollution into the atmosphere than the old inefficient mercury lights.  

LED lighting also delivers better colour rendering and visibility, more reliable lighting and less depreciation of light output over time. 

A State Government rebate and the immediate energy and annual maintenance cost savings for the completed LED streetlighting works will be used to fund the design and installation of LEDs for the next stages of the energy efficient street lighting program. 

The next stage is the existing heritage style decorative lights. The City of Ballarat will consult with the community about rolling out LEDs for about 650 of these existing heritage style lights in the coming months. 

City of Ballarat Chief Executive Officer, Evan King said Ballarat’s streetlights are now being driven by 100 per cent renewable energy after the organisation joined 45 other councils in signing the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO) Power Purchase Agreement. 

“Sustainability projects like this energy efficient street lighting program are a great example of delivering a return on investment to our community,” he said. 

“The significant energy and cost savings realised from this project will be used for future transition to LED lighting for the next stage of our street lighting focusing on the heritage style streetlights and generate even further cost savings, which is a great outcome.”