Council forging 'Light Years Ahead'
Published on 23 July 2015
On Thursday next week Council will officially launch a major regional project called Light Years Ahead, which involves replacing existing street lights with more energy efficient LED fittings.
This joint project by the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC), has brought together nine Western Sydney councils in an effort to reduce energy consumption.
Old, inefficient lights are a huge drain on Council finances, as street lighting makes up more than half of our electricity bills. By switching from the old 80 watt mercury vapour lights to the new LED lights, we will reduce energy consumption by 77%.
This energy consumption will not only help us make our region a more liveable place by reducing our carbon footprint, but also helps us save on our electricity bills.
In our City, more than 1,180 mercury vapour lights across the LGA (more than 7% of our lights) will be replaced – in Bonnyrigg Heights, Bossley Park, Canley Heights, Canley Vale, Edensor Park, Greenfield Park, Prairiewood, Smithfield, St Johns Park, Wakeley, and Wetherill Park.
We estimate that by replacing these lights we will reduce Fairfield City Council's energy costs over the next 20 years by about $2.1 million (at existing electricity prices).
Greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by about 6,480 tonnes – just in our LGA. This is the equivalent to lighting more than 8,100 homes, heating and cooling more than 3,200 homes, or taking more than 1,500 cars off the road each year – a big impact in the Fairfield Local Government Area.
Council considers Light Years Ahead as a great opportunity to start something a lot bigger – why stop at changing more than 1,180 lights? The other eight participant councils are on the same page. We will all continue to look to ways to work together to extend the work we have started.
Local Government Week bus tour
As part of Local Government Week, from 3-9 August 2015, Council is offering residents a free, informative bus tour of the LGA.
The 2.5 hour tour on Wednesday, 5 August, will give you the opportunity to learn about the services and initiatives that Council deliver to the community.
The tour starts with a morning tea I'll be hosting at Whitlam Library, Cabramatta, at 9am.
I encourage to you take advantage of this great opportunity to learn about your Council. Seats are limited, so bookings are essential.
Call 9725 0203 to reserve your seat.