New lighting has been installed at highways depots in North Yorkshire to reduce energy use.
The upgrade should create tens of thousands of pounds in energy bill savings and efforts have been made to ensure that it does not impact on the environment, especially at night.
Both the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks were awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status in 2020 because of the low levels of light pollution. It meant the Dales and the Moors joined an exclusive club of other locations such as the Grand Canyon and Death Valley National Parks in the United States of America, Mont-Mégantic National Park in Canada and NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia with similar protection.
The new external LED lighting at the highways depots, several of which are located in deeply rural locations, is a direct replacement of existing fittings to maintain the same level of brightness.
At the depot in Thirsk, which sits on an industrial estate, the 96 existing lights were replaced with 32 LED alternatives.
Based on six hours a day usage, it is anticipated to generate annual savings of £6,319, and annual carbon dioxide reduction of 5,835kg. The cost of the works was £15,000, and this is set to be paid back in under two-and-a-half years.
Executive member for climate change, Cllr Greg White, said:
We want to ensure that we play our part in tackling the international climate emergency and we know that the installation of energy-efficient LED lighting is a great step to achieving this goal.
The installation promises huge savings in the long-term. The reduced number of LED light fittings required will save on current maintenance costs, and we anticipate the payback period to be a few years at all of the depots.
