LED street lighting upgrade

City of Parramatta Council is undertaking the largest smart and LED energy efficiency streetlighting upgrade project ever seen within NSW.

Partnering with Endeavour Energy, the electricity network powering Greater Western Sydney, the $4m project will see more than 3,000 lights upgraded to high-performance and energy-efficient smart LED streetlights.

As of 23 March, 1,500 lights have been installed on main roads in Toongabbie, Winston Hills, Northmead and North Parramatta with a further 1,800 upgraded by the end of June 2022. 

New streetlights are equipped with smart technology that will allow Council to lower lighting levels where and when it is deemed appropriate. Council is currently undertaking a detailed lighting design to establish appropriate dimming levels for each light.

While final lighting levels will meet Australian Standards, it is expected Council will be able to reduce the light output between 8% and 50+%. The dimming process will be finalised in June, this will help reduce light pollution and provide additional energy savings.

Energy and cost savings

The new LED lights are between 45% - 60% more efficient and will provide up to 60% energy savings. The amount of energy we’re saving (approx. 2,472MWh per year) is enough to power Riverside Theatres for three years.

Upgrading around 22% of the total street lighting network, this project will see lighting on major roads improved to deliver enhanced night-time visibility for drivers and pedestrians, better rendering of colour, and reduced glare.

The switch to LED will also save Council millions on street lighting operating and maintenance costs. The first phase of the program begins December 2021, with the project expected to be completed by June 2022.

The project will reduce Council’s annual street lighting carbon emissions by 28% (1,830 tCO₂e) and help Council achieve its emission reduction and carbon neutral targets of reducing carbon emissions by 60% by 2038 (based on 2015 levels).

In addition to delivering increased performance with energy and emission savings, the project will also implement best practice circular economy principles to divert the old streetlights and the packaging for new lights from landfill.

Our streetlight network

On completion of the project, 75% of Council’s street lighting network will be energy efficient. 53% streetlights (8,122 residential lights) were upgraded between 2015 – 2021.

Which roads and streets will be upgraded?

Lighting upgrades will take place on major roads throughout the Endeavour Energy network area including the Parramatta CBD, Carlingford, Epping, Ermington, Granville, Harris Park, North Parramatta, North Rocks, Northmead, Rosehill, Telopea, Toongabbie, Westmead, and Winston Hills.

Key roads include: Pennant Hills Rd, North Rocks Rd, Kissing Point Rd, Fitzwilliam Rd, Jenkins Rd, Adderton Rd, Park Rd, Midson Rd, Wentworth Ave, Borina Ave, and Grand Ave.

Traffic accident, crime data, train stations, bus stops, night time economy and wildlife corridors have been considered in the lighting design stage of this project.

The smart technology will allow quicker response times to restoring lights. The new LED lights can also be programmed to tailor different light levels at different times of the night to respond to traffic, and pedestrian usage.

Work Schedule

Work will be undertaken by Endeavour Energy in two stages beginning in December 2021, and completed by June 2022.

Work will be planned to take place at times when vehicle and pedestrian traffic is low. 

More Information

This partnership project with Endeavour Energy is a Covid-19 stimulus project that will increase local infrastructure jobs and is funded through the federal government’s Local Roads for Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program.

For more information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions page, or Download our Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 1.15 MB)

To contact the LED Streetlights project team, please call the Environmental Outcomes Team on 9806 5620 or email environmentallysustainable@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au

Between 2014 and 2021, Council upgraded 8,114 residential streetlights (53% of the total street lighting network) with energy efficient LEDs. This project provided projected savings of more than $7 million and 41,000 tonnes of CO₂ over the lights’ forecast 20-year life span.

The new LED residential streetlights are powered by a mere 17, 22 or 33 watts of electricity while older streetlights used 95 or more watts to achieve the same level of lighting.

• 6,719 of the lights were upgraded within the Endeavour Energy network as part of the Light Years Ahead project, a regional partnership project coordinated by the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC).
• 1,395 of the lights were upgraded within the Ausgrid network as part of the Streetlighting Improvement Program project, a regional partnership project coordinated by the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC).

The upgrades are part of Council’s commitment towards our long-term target to reduce carbon emissions by 60% by 2038 (based on 2015 levels).
 

For more information

Contact the Environmental Outcomes Team on 9806 5620 or environmentallysustainable@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au