Cardiff City Council generates major savings with new street lighting system

The City of Cardiff has taken a major step to become a smart city and reduce its carbon footprint by installing more than 14,000 connected LED streetlights.

The project, which marks the 1,000th implementation of Philips CityTouch, supports safety and security in the Welsh capital and will help to reduce the city’s carbon footprint through huge energy savings and increased operational efficiencies.

The new lighting system has reduced the carbon footprint of the city by reducing energy used for public lighting by 60 per cent, and creates savings for the council of over £750,000 which can be put to use elsewhere.

This efficiency from the system will contribute to the UK’s goal to lower carbon dioxide emissions by 34 per cent by 2021 and Cardiff’s aspiration to be a one planet city by 2050.

The system is the next major step in the Welsh capital’s goal to become a smart city, and increases the safety/security of 360,000 citizens and 20 million annual visitors.

The connected lighting also means that lighting managers can dim or increase the brightness of street lights to meet the needs of the city at any given moment, and streetlights have the option to be equipped with sensors to monitor traffic flow, noise levels etc in the future.

Chris Jones, lead electrical officer at Cardiff City Council, said: “We looked at a broad range of factors when selecting our new connected lighting system. Our top priorities were to ensure maximum benefit for our citizens and capitalise on potential cost and energy savings. Philips Lighting has given us an infrastructure that will grow with our needs and provide quality light to make our citizens feel safer. With continual monitoring, we can now respond instantly – such as increasing light levels at peak times outside schools and hospitals.”

Jacques Letzelter, head of public lighting for Philips Lighting, said: “Our connected street lighting will contribute to a safer environment for the citizens of Cardiff and will enable the city to achieve savings in energy and enjoy operational efficiencies. It provides a scalable and flexible digital infrastructure which gives the city options for the future, such as inputting data into smart city dashboards or adding sensors that could, for example, monitor noise or traffic.

“It’s fitting that Cardiff represents the 1,000th project to use our Philips CityTouch street lighting management system: a city and a technology shaping the future.”