LUNAR – Lighting Up North Ayrshire Responsibly – is being rolled out across towns and villages after the success of pilot projects on Arran and Millport. Main routes in Ardrossan including Eglinton Road have already seen the first energy-efficient street lights installed.

The project will not only do wonders for North Ayrshire’s urban footprint but save the Council thousands of pounds. Over the next two years around 13,500 street lights across the region will have existing bulbs replaced with low energy bulbs in a bid to reduce emissions and save money.

The project has been highlighted as an excellent example of an ‘invest to save’ scheme as it is estimated to reduce the revenue maintenance budget from £550,000 to £335,000 at the end of year two of the project. By year eight of the programme around £750,000 in efficiency savings are expected to be made.

The pilot projects in both Arran and Cumbrae were huge successes, with the entire lighting stock on both islands replaced by new units which use less energy and generate less CO2. The scheme has been highlighted as a great example of an ‘invest to save’ initiative as it is expected to pay for itself within six years and yield around £750,000 in efficiency savings by the end of the eight year programme.

Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Place, said: “It’s great to see the new LED lighting being put in place. "It’s such a fantastic project that will have positive impacts for years to come. “This is a fantastic example of investing to save money. "The council deserve credit for pushing ahead with this scheme which has huge economic and environmental benefits.

“We looked at a number of options but LED technology is the best available to us, with a number of advantages. “The bulbs are low energy with a longer life cycle, meaning fewer complaints from residents about dark lamps. “They also produce a clear light, which shines where it needs to be and doesn’t spill into other areas. “This project will improve street lighting across North Ayrshire while at the same time saving money and improving our carbon footprint.” Once the major routes are completed, LED lighting will be installed in residential areas. 

Huong Truong