VolkerHighways to increase energy efficiency in Slough, Wokingham and Reading, with new LED street lights
VolkerHighways has begun a £24 million combined contract to upgrade 38,000 street lights with energy efficient LED lamps. The contract started on 1st April 2016 and will continue for two years, covering street lights in Slough, Wokingham and Reading. It is estimated that the work will reduce CO2 emissions by 58,000 tonnes.
The VolkerHighways team will undertake 11,000 column replacements and electrical connection transfers, across the three towns. They will also install Central Management Systems, allowing the Councils to directly monitor their lights for maintenance issues, as well as dim or turn them off, as required.
Slough Borough Council has also included a street lighting term maintenance contract, which will run for the initial two years, extendable by one year.
On completion of the two year contract, the project is anticipated to result in a combined saving of £1.9 million in maintenance costs and £1.4 million in energy costs, across the three authorities.
Alistair Thompson, managing director of VolkerHighways, said: “We are delighted to have won this combined contract and to be working with the Slough, Wokingham and Reading Borough Councils, in the delivery of their LED conversion programme. This is a further contract for our expanding lighting business in the UK LED conversion sector and is testament to the confidence our clients have in VolkerHighways. We also look forward to forging a long-standing relationship with Slough Borough Council during the maintenance contract.”
Councillor Fiza Matloob, commissioner for transport and highways at Slough Borough Council said: “We are very pleased to appoint VolkerHighways as our winning contractor for carrying out the ‘LED street lighting upgrade’ works for Slough, Reading and Wokingham Borough Councils. This is a joint initiative between the three boroughs which got underway in April. So far, VolkerHighways has made excellent progress on-site and we have received many complementary messages from the residents with regard to the new street lighting lanterns they have installed. These new LED lights will change how our highway networks are lit at night; it will make our streets much safer as well as helping us to save energy costs, thus reducing our carbon footprint.”
