Dover District LED Roll out

Dover District Council (DDC), one of Kent's biggest street lighting districts, aims to become a net zero carbon emitter by 2030 and has committed to supporting the whole district to be carbon neutral by 2050. Since 2008 it has worked hard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 57%.

As part of its plan of work, it recently invested nearly £1M, partly funded by SALIX, in its ageing street lighting stock to help light the way for a brighter, safer and more environmentally friendly future for its residents. The project replaced approximately 2750 Street Lighting Luminaires with energy-saving LED versions, nearly 200 Concrete and stumped Columns and 270 OHL Pole Brackets, which had Dangerous DNO Supplies.

DDC initially secured a funding loan through SALIX for the project, but initially, it seemed that the budget available would not complete the project.

LEDS LTD were then employed to survey all the lights to update the accuracy of the inventory, produce a lowest cost of ownership specification and then put together a Tender document for the Kent Business Portal for the works to be tendered.

VOLKER HIGHWAYS were the successful bidder with a competitive price and a quality document package far better than any other bidders.

CU Phosco Lighting was the chosen supplier by Volkers, with the majority of the luminaires being the P852 with 24LEDs to give the lowest cost of ownership solution. Forest Columns, along with other products, ensured the project objectives.

In response to the objectives and the tender specification, a combination of CU Phosco Lighting P852 and P873 luminaires were approved for use.

The P852 24LED offers a low-cost energy efficient (up to 139Lumens/Watt) solution for Dover's residential roads with a Dark Sky Friendly design. It critically has coastal protection for all locations due to the harsh salt air conditions.

The P873 post-top LED luminaire combines the latest LED technology with a state-of-the-art design in keeping with the local area while ensuring low energy costs.

The CU Phosco Lighting range of road lighting LED luminaires comply with the ETL guidelines for White Light Emitting Diode Lighting Units and are eligible for the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme. In this project, the luminaires met the requirements for SALIX Finance, enabling Dover District Council to fund the project interest-free.

As the project progressed, additional works were included within the contract with small additional funding from outside sources. Thus, replacing the Skate Park lighting at Deal using the CU Phosco Lighting FL810 robust floodlight creates a fit-for-purpose, safe and friendly environment with maximum optical control to avoid light intrusion. The lighting is being switched by a state-of-the-art Lutron control system for maximum energy efficiency and security.

Furthermore, CU Phosco Lighting Forest Columns met the LEDS LTD specification for longevity, with the 200 plus 5-10m columns meeting BS EN 40 standards, manufactured at its Forest of Dean Factory at Coleford.

Subsequently, due to the success of the main contract, an additional site at Burgoyne Heights was funded and required a further 64 columns to be replaced using an ICP contractor to transfer the supplies. This time a small tender won by FM Conway with CU Phosco P852 lanterns procured by DDC for speed enabled the works to be completed in just over three days. This former Military site, now a housing estate, benefits from the same safe lighting as the rest of the DDC District.

The district-wide scheme has improved the quality of light on Dover's streets, Car Parks and footpaths helping residents to feel safer in the community at night.

As a result of the LED replacement, the Council has reduced energy consumption by around 75% and improved the lighting at the same time. The lights dim by 50% at midnight to save further energy and help the environment. This investment also includes a long-lasting Coastal Specification on each lantern, further supported by the CU Phosco Lighting 15-year Warranty.

A Council spokesman said, "We are delighted to see the completion of this important project. These brighter, more efficient LED Street Lights will help people feel safe at night, as well as help to reduce light pollution, and will save energy, reducing our carbon footprint for the future."