Switch to LED lights set to save £150,000

TRANSPORT chiefs have completed a new scheme to replace bus shelter lighting in Rotherham with more efficient LED lights in a bid to save energy.

The move by the organisation running the county’s buses, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive has seen lights replaced in over 2,000 shelters county-wide, saving around £150,000 a year.

The electricity costs to light the bus shelters, which makes up a third of SYPTE’s total electricity costs, will be reduced considerably — as bus shelter energy consumption is slashed by an estimated 61 per cent.

LED lighting has a much longer lifespan, is brighter and more reliable than regular fluorescent lighting and because of this the new lights will also reduce maintenance budget costs.

It will also ensure that the bus stops have a brighter appearance, making them more attractive to use at night.

SYPTE has developed a carbon management plan which seeks to reduce the organisation's carbon footprint by 40 per cent over the next three years. Solar panels have already been installed at the organisation’s head office on Broad Street West which are helping to reduce the amount of electricity drawn from the National Grid.

David Brown, SYPTE director general, said: “Reducing carbon is a key target for many organisations over the next few years and we are no different.

“These new LED lights may individually make a small difference, but installed at thousands of bus stops throughout South Yorkshire they add up to a considerable electricity and financial saving.”