South Australia is making significant strides in the energy transition and street lighting is a key part of this journey.

Currently, around half of the state's streetlights are illuminated by energy-efficient LED bulbs. We're committed to helping empower this change and move towards a future that's not only greener but also more cost-effective for energy users. 

Last year, we teamed up with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield (City of PAE) to roll-out Stage 1 of their bulk LED lighting upgrade, focussing on Stobie pole-mounted lights on residential streets. The $2.46 million project began in December 2023 and has seen 4,812 streetlights changed over to LED lights, finishing on target by the end of the 2023 - 2024 financial year. 

Claire Boan, City of PAE’s Mayor, expressed her satisfaction with the project’s efforts, sharing, ‘We are thrilled to have completed Stage 1 of the LED rollout across the city of PAE, with over 4500 new energy efficient lights installed in partnership with SAPN. The lights have not only reduced our power bills, but increased the lighting levels for our local community improving safety and amenity of the local street network.’

LED (Light Emitting Diode) creates light up to 82% more efficiently than traditional streetlights. These bulbs are also more considerate to residents and the environment, as their improved design reduces light pollution and prevents light spill into properties. Under LEDs, light is spread more evenly across roads and footpaths and objects look more natural. The lights need less maintenance throughout their lifetime, which reduces operating costs, and they produce much less direct greenhouse gas emissions than their traditional counterparts. 

While SA Power Networks maintains most streetlighting in SA, councils cover the costs for supply and energy usage through public lighting tariffs. Over the past year, energy costs for streetlights have seen a substantial rise. However, once the full LED rollout is completed, the council expects to save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

The collaboration between the City of PAE and SA Power Networks was overseen by our Public Lighting Asset Manager, Claire Stobbe, with project management coordinated by Gray Consulting.

Claire highlighted that the extensive cooperation between all parties was the foundation of the project's success. “Project Manager Adam Gray (Gray Consulting) and myself played a pivotal role in overseeing operational issues and project progress through regular meetings, addressing challenges such as access to lights, vegetation clearance issues, as well as managing installation numbers and billing. We met regularly to ensure the project progressed as planned and on target, aiming for full completion of Stage 1 by the end of the financial year which was achieved.”

Claire also shared SA Power Networks’ thorough cost-benefit and energy savings analysis was fundamental in securing this project for council. “It's a privilege to contribute to the Council's greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. This partnership significantly reduced costs for the Council and their community, achieving substantial annual savings in operational efficiency, environmental impact, and financial costs."

“I am delighted with the completion of Stage 1 and eagerly anticipate collaborating again with the Council soon to upgrade their remaining lighting assets.”

For more information on SA Power Network's Public lighting services see our Public Lighting page. 

For more information on City of PAE’s LED lighting upgrades see their website here.