Coventry City Council’s Cabinet have approved plans to modernise the city’s streetlights.
The project will replace the lanterns on 29,500 lighting columns in the city with modern LED ones.
The new lamps will use only half the energy of the current ones, and will last four times as long.
It is also possible to dim the bulbs so that they use only 30% of the energy, making it possible to review the current policy of switching lighting off overnight. It would be possible to dim them instead.
It is also planned to install smart sensor ports in one-in-five of the new lanterns. This will allow the Council to easily collect environmental data such as air quality, noise, or traffic flows.
The cost of the scheme is £10.3 million, which compares with the £3.4 million a year currently spent on energy for street lighting. The council calculates that the scheme will save £900,000 a year.
As well as saving money, the scheme will reduce carbon emissions in the city by 1200 tonnes a year, which is equivalent to taking 258 cars off the road.
Lighting in Coventry is organised through a 25-year Private Finance Initiative contract with Balfour Beatty, which started in 2010.
A trail of the new technology in Hillfields has proved effective and been well received by residents.
The Council is also working with the Warwick Manufacturing Group to explore opportunities for recycling the old lanterns which will stop parts being sent to landfill. WMG estimate that there are around 125 tonnes of aluminium alone that can be recovered.
The plan will be given final approval by full Council in January. There will then be a period of design and contract negotiation, with the scheme being implemented between November 2025 and November 2027.