Lighting upgrade cuts energy use by 30%, says Cork City Council

The upgrading of more than 18,200 lights on Cork city’s roads and in housing estates to LED has resulted in a 70% energy saving per lantern, and an overall energy reduction of 30%.

Last year, Cork City Council began a 10-year plan to renew its 25,500 public lighting units, including the replacement of 11,500 lighting columns, with an estimated 2,000 further LED lanterns to be upgraded this year.

The aim of the initiative is to provide consistent public lighting design, maximise energy savings, reduce CO2 emissions, and enhance efficiency across the network by replacing traditional sodium lamp lanterns with more energy-efficient LED ones. The upgrade, which began in 2021, has resulted in a CO2 reduction of 360.56t.

Aidan Mahony, senior executive engineer with the council said that the project will require significant, once-in-a-generation, funding.

“A lot of good work has been completed by the team, but there are significant challenges facing the public lighting network,” he said.

“Essential works are urgently required to ensure that degraded assets are replaced to ensure residential estates remain fit for purpose for future generations of the city.

“This will require financial resources, the understanding of residents, the support of stakeholders and contractors, and a significant resource from ESB Networks to deliver the plan successfully.”

James Kenneally, executive engineer of public lighting operations at Cork City Council, said he is very proud of the energy savings, adding: “This project will be a generational project that will future-proof the public lighting network in Cork city for many years to come.”