Crews last week began to roll out new energy efficient LED street lights in a project set to save ratepayers more than $150,000 a year in reduced energy and maintenance costs.

Eurobodalla is the first council in the south east region to install the lights.

The council’s sustainability coordinator Mark Shorter said the council was working closely with Essential Energy to replace about 2,500 street light bulbs with the LEDs on Eurobodalla’s residential roads.

“We’re excited to see LED lights going up in the Eurobodalla,” he said. “This will deliver some real benefits to council and the community. LEDs are a far superior product. In some cases they use 80 per cent less power than the old lights.

“They also last a lot longer and don’t need to be replaced as frequently, which saves Council money on maintenance costs. Traditional street light bulbs require regular maintenance every four years whereas LEDs can last up to 20 years.”

Mr Shorter said LEDs had improved light quality on the ‘yellow’ light of traditional bulbs.

“The light is whiter and clearer, which has been shown to improve road safety and reduce accidents,” he said. “It has also been shown to improve public safety and reduce crime levels.”

All Eurobodalla street lights are being serviced as part of the program. For more information about the council’s other sustainability initiatives, visit www.esc.nsw.gov.au