09/11
DECISION UNDER DELEGATED POWERS
DECISION CANNOT BE TAKEN BEFORE WEDNESDAY, 30 MARCH 2011
Title POLICY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF VARIABLE STREET LIGHTING LEVELS AND SHORTER ILLUMINATION PERIODS
Report Author REPORT TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND CORPORATE SERVICES
PURPOSE
1. The approval of a street lighting policy for the Highways Private Finance Initiative (PFI) which will allow the use of variable street lighting levels and shorter illumination periods.
OUTCOMES
2. Substantial savings in energy consumption and hence the overall cost of street lighting. Carbon footprint reductions in line with the Eco Island principles.
BACKGROUND
3. The Highways PFI, funded by the Department for Transport Grant and the council’s own contribution, is currently in procurement and expected to commence refurbishment of the network in April 2013. The first seven years of the contract is designated as the “Core Investment Period” during which time the highway network, including the street lighting, in all public roads will be refurbished. The project has in- built drivers to achieve the key objectives of the Eco Island initiative that would deliver both value for money solutions and environmental benefits.
4. Since street lighting accounts for one tenth of the council’s carbon emissions, energy savings in this area are particularly important. There are 11,849 street lights maintained by the Isle of Wight Council and all towns and villages, with the exception of Alverstone Garden Village, Brook, Calbourne, Merstone and Newtown, have full or partial street lighting. The lighting stock is predominantly made up of high pressure sodium 70W and 150W sodium lighting units. The energy costs for providing street lighting and illuminating road signs, is at present £454,500 per annum. Approximately 15 per cent of these costs relate to road signs which cannot be remotely controlled. 1
5. Since the Highways PFI contract is a forward looking long term contract it needs to embed the best in class with the use of new technology such as LED lights and central management systems (CMS).
6. LED stands for light emitting diode, which produces a more energy efficient and brighter light source in the form of clusters of tiny high intensity “bulbs”.
7. Advantages of using LED technology are:
• reduced energy consumption and costs from use of low wattage “bulbs”; • subsequent reduced carbon emissions; • reduced maintenance visits and costs; • very low (negligible) emission of ultraviolet radiation – not harmful, reduces attraction of wildlife; and • good light control - minimises light pollution.
8. CMS allows street lighting units to be remotely controlled using two-way radio communication from a central control room. Advantages of using a CMS are:
• allow more precise, efficient running of lighting units; • trim operating hours and dim/switch at set times or in line with demand (less traffic); • monitor and report on energy consumption and lamp/gear performance; • ensure optimum running conditions (eg correct voltage); and • automatic notification of failures and avoid night time scouting.
RECOMMENDED POLICY
9. This report recommends a trimming and dimming lighting policy using a CMS. For the purpose of defining the policy the following definitions are used:
Trimming - reducing the operating hours of a street light. Dimming - reducing lighting levels at low traffic densities.
10. Trimming - Existing lighting units take up to 15 minutes to warm up to full output but this is not the case if modern LED units are installed as they reach full power almost immediately. This means operating hours can be “trimmed” by delaying lighting up time in the evening by 15 minutes and switching off in the morning being brought forward by 10 minutes. This will provide a five per cent reduction in the hours that all street lights are in illumination.
11. The energy savings resulting from the suggested trimming regime could be in the region of between 3 per cent and 4 per cent.
12. Dimming - This relates to reducing the power to a street lighting unit resulting in a reduction of light intensity during times when car and pedestrian usage is low but still ensuring that the class of lighting matches the actual use of the road at that time as permitted by the road lighting standards.
2 13. The energy savings resulting from the dimming regime recommended is likely to be approximately 25 per cent, see table below.
Table 1 URBAN (Towns and Villages)
Description Hours lights dimmed % below full power Road hierarchy 1 00.00 – 05.00 25 Road hierarchy 2 00.00 – 05.00 30 Road hierarchy 3 00.00 – 05.00 30 Road hierarchy 4 00.00 – 05.00 25 Town centre areas in 02.00 – 05.00 30 vicinity of nightclubs and entertainment venues Car parks 00.00 – 05.00 25 Residential areas 00.00 – 05.00 40 Subways 00.00 – 05.00 25
Table 2 RURAL (outside 30mph and 40mph speed limits)
Description Hours lights dimmed % below full power Road hierarchy 1 00.00 – 05.00 25 Road hierarchy 2 21.00 – 23.59 25 00.00 – 05.00 30 Road hierarchy 3 21.00 – 23.59 25 00.00 – 05.00 30 Road hierarchy 4 21.00 – 23.59 25 00.00 - 05.00 30
14. The hours of midnight to 5am have been chosen for dimming as there is very low member of the public usage during that period. In the vicinity of nightclubs and entertainment venues the hours are reduced to 2am to 5am. The ability will be retained for lighting intensities to be increased on request by the CCTV control room and the police.
15. In rural areas the dimming is staged with a reduction in power 25 per cent between 9pm and midnight and a further reduction to 30 per cent from midnight to 5am. An exception is made for the hierarchy 1 main roads (the heavily trafficked roads) which will only have a 25 per cent power reduction applied between midnight and 5am.
16. Since the lighting units will be replaced with new LED lighting stock, the lighting levels will be considerably improved with like for like replacement; further benefit can therefore be derived by reducing the LED lighting levels by 25 per cent to 30 per cent without noticeable reduction of lighting to the public.
17. The implementation of trimming and dimming will allow substantial savings in energy consumption by up to 30 per cent. The introducing of LED lighting will further reduce energy consumption by up to 35 per cent. The overall impact of combining LED lighting with the trimming and dimming of lighting will result in up to 65 per cent savings in energy with corresponding reduction in the cost of providing street lighting. As a consequence, there will be considerable reduction in carbon footprint during the 25 year contract term, assisting in the council’s Eco Island aspirations.
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18. The CMS will allow street lights to be switched off remotely which could be implemented in the future and provide additional savings.
19. The PFI service provider will be required to submit a trimming and dimming strategy, in compliance with this policy, on an annual basis for approval by the Isle of Wight Council. This will allow any legislative changes or technical advances to be taken into account.
STRATEGIC CONTEXT
20. This policy supports the ‘Thriving Island’ Eco Island theme and the specific priority to ‘create wealth whilst reducing our carbon footprint’. It also assists in the achievement of the Eco Island ambition of ‘the Island having the lowest carbon footprint in England by 2020’.
CONSULTATION
21. Officers in highways and transport, planning, CCTV and safer communities have been consulted in developing this policy. In addition specialist advisors from financial, legal, risk management, and performance areas of the council have also been consulted and their comments included in this report.
FINANCIAL / BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
22. The Highways PFI service provider will be responsible for energy procurement and the associated pricing risks. A CMS will be used to control the Island’s street lighting to allow lighting profiling (dimming and trimming). The lighting stock will be replaced with LED lighting units during the core investment period (first seven years) of the PFI Contract. The implementation of this policy is likely to result in up to 65 per cent reduction in energy costs, which will be factored into the PFI pricing the council, will receive from the successful bidder. Additional reductions in energy consumption are likely when the system evolves further.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
23. There is no statutory requirement to provide road lighting. The statutes referred to below empower authorities to light roads, but it is not a duty. The following gives a general guide to the powers highway authorities have to provide lighting.
24. In England and Wales, Section 97 of the Highways Act 1980 empowers a highway authority to provide lighting for any highway or proposed highway for which they are or will be the highway authority.
25. In a case heard in 1921 (Sheppard v Glossop Corporation), it was held that a street lighting authority has no duty to light the highway, even dangerous places on the highway, unless it has itself created the danger, for example by excavating the street and leaving the road without light. A street lighting authority acting under permissive powers is not therefore liable for accidents arising from a failure to light. This case has not been overruled.
4 26. This case law supports the discretion of a highway authority to modify lighting levels during the night, or even turn lights off.
27. If a highway authority chooses to exercise its power to light a highway, BS 5489:2003 is generally used as guidance, although there is no legal requirement for the provision of a particular lighting class, or hours of operation. It is, however, reasonable to regard the recommendation of the British Standard as the current guide to good practice and to utilise the lighting classes set out in the various parts of that standard. It is also reasonable to suggest that the best defence against criticism and action is to have a lighting policy that sets out the criteria for selecting the class of lighting and documentation of the selection process in a particular situation.
28. The introduction of BS EN 13201:2003 with a greater range of lighting classes and the advice on class selection given in BS 5489:2003 and in the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) technical report PD CEN/TR 13201-1:2004 will further influence future good practice. These documents have a flexible approach to the selection of lighting classes, and make the specific point that the parameters used and thus the lighting classes determined, can vary during the night.
29. The dimming regime suggested in tables 1 and 2 have been determined so as to still comply with the above British Standards.
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
30. It is unlikely there will be any affect on equality and diversity.
SECTION 17 CRIME AND DISORDER ACT 1998
31. Implications of Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (as amended by Police and Justice Act 2006) have been considered in developing this policy. With the ability to manually raise lighting intensities from a central control room, which also houses the CCTV system, this policy will have a positive effect on minimising crime and disorder.
OPTIONS
32. There are only two options:
• Option 1 - To implement a dimming and trimming regime as part of the Highways PFI. • Option 2 - To continue with the current lighting regime.
The benefits of implementing the dimming and trimming regime have been explained in the earlier sections of this report.
RISK MANAGEMENT
33. Should Option 1 be selected there is a potential risk of complaints from the public that lighting levels have been reduced in the early hours of the day. Based on case law and the fact that there is no statutory requirement to provide road lighting, such complaints are unlikely to pose a major risk to implementing this policy. Option 2 5 would fail to achieve the proposed street lighting energy cost savings and fail to reduce the council’s CO2 emissions.
EVALUATION
34. Only the one option is outlined using proven industry standards for guidance.
RECOMMENDATION
35. To approve:
• Option 1 - To implement a dimming and trimming regime as part of the Highways PFI.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
36. Institution of Lighting Engineers – Technical Report 27 Code of Practice for Variable Lighting Levels for Highways.
Contact Point: Malcolm Smith - Highways PFI Technical Manager, 01983 823520 e-mail - [email protected]
STUART LOVE COUNCILLOR EDWARD GILES Strategic Director Cabinet Member for the Environment, Transport Economy and Environment & Corporate Services
Decision
Signed
Date
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