Ausgrid street light replacement

Ausgrid is commencing a program to rollout new energy efficient LED streetlights as a standard for all existing streetlights within residential streets.  In 2018, Inner West Council, along with 16 other Councils, agreed to accept Ausgrid’s offer to accelerate the replacement of all existing streetlights (on minor residential roads) with the new lights. Ausgrid will replace approximately 4600 street lights within the Inner West Council area under this program.

The new LED lamps are more energy efficient, will cost less to run, are easier to maintain and have longer useful lives.  The new lights provide better lighting quality and will improve the levels of street lighting generally within residential streets.

Ausgrid will install 3 different models of LED streetlights in the area depending on the level of lighting required for each particular street.

LED street light replacement program roll-out status

As of May 2019, Ausgrid have advised that approximately 65% of planned LED replacement has been completed throughout the Inner West Council area. This equates to approximately 2,650 lamp replacements completed to date (out of a total of 4,125). Ausgrid have temporarily suspended works and advised that they are scheduled to recommence in early July 2019.

The below tables provides a suburb by suburb breakdown and summary.

Enquiries

If you have any queries regarding the works being undertaken by Ausgrid please contact them directly:

• By telephone on 13 13 65
• Visit the Ausgrid website 
• In writing to GPO Box 4009, Sydney 2000

Frequently asked questions

Why is Ausgrid installing LEDs and what’s Council’s involvement in this project?

Ausgrid operates around 250,000 streetlights across their network, through a remuneration agreement with individual Councils. Currently Ausgrid is working with 33 Councils throughout their network area which includes most parts of Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter.

As part of this LED Replacement program, Ausgrid have advised they will be replacing around 100,000 older streetlights across their network area. In this phase, Ausgrid will undertake works in the minor residential roads only, with the main/major roads covered in the next phase of the program.

Street lighting is a vital community asset which helps the community feel safer and more secure. The new LEDs are more energy efficient, low maintenance and cost effective in the long run.

What are LEDs and how efficient are they? Why not use solar?

LED is the short form for ‘Light-emitting diodes.’ Effectively they are semiconductor devices which produce light when an electrical current is passed through them.

The new LED lamps being installed are much easier to maintain than older streetlights and each LED expected to last for up to 20 years.

LED lamps can produce the same level of light as current streetlights for far less energy. It can take up to 95 watts to power older streetlights whereas the new LEDs use just 17 watts.

Solar streetlights are an evolving technology and at this stage LEDs seemed to be the most practical solution.

What are the benefits of LEDs?

By using a fraction of the energy of older streetlights LEDs will deliver significant environmental benefits by reducing Council carbon emissions by tens of thousands of tonnes every year across Ausgrid network area.

LEDs use much less energy than older streetlights which means Inner West Council will save significantly on overall lighting costs.

How long will the project continue and how will Ausgrid manage disruptions during construction? E.g. traffic, noise etc.

Ausgrid has advised they anticipate this phase of the project on minor residential roads will be delivered in 2019. Works will commence in suburbs located in the western part of the Inner West Council area, then moving east towards the suburbs in the central part of the Council area, and finally moving into the suburbs of the northern part of the Council area

Ausgrid have advised they expect the replacement of LED streetlights with minimal disruption or outages of equipment. Ausgrid have also advised no civil works or excessive noise is envisaged with the activity and that they will adhere to legal working times with each replacement expected be completed within 30 minutes.

How accurate is the schedule of work?

Ausgrid have advised the timing in the schedule is subject to a number of factors such as availability of key materials, mostly the LEDs and brackets and secondly successful negotiation and availability of required crews to install the LEDs at the rate negotiated with councils.

A streetlight in my area is not working, where can I report it?

Head to the link on the Ausgrid website to report faults