Extra Government Funding Provides Safer Street Lighting in Barnet

Like every local authority, the London Borough of Barnet has been put under increasing pressure from the government to meet energy saving targets. To ease transition, the Government Office for London has provided extra Public Finance Initiative (PFI) funds for street lighting schemes to improve safety and reduce crime. Barnet submitted a request for funding to replace more than 17,500 streetlights and 3,779 columns and commenced researching suitable products. As part of this process local government officers asked residents in Barnet for their views on street lighting and, given the choice, what style and type of lighting would they prefer to have located outside their homes. Following this investigation WRTL were invited to demonstrate Stela, a next generation luminaire that provides a white light capable of reducing CO2 emissions by up to 65% compared to traditional solutions and provides high energy savings without the need to dim or switch off during the night. Stela is manufactured using a large proportion of recycled materials, especially steel and aluminium, and has a 100,000 hour service life with a six year cleaning cycle and virtually no other maintenance requirements. Richard Bergman, Senior Lighting Engineer with the London Borough of Barnet, said: “LED lighting was our preferred choice and this product really stood out. The photometric data for Stela provided by WRTL was exceptional and they were able to present very convincing evidence to support our final decision.” The additional dilemma Barnet faced was to retain use of the existing columns and replace only the ‘head’ of the street light. As Stela is a flexible solution and fully adaptable we were able to accommodate this request and therefore win the contract. Speaking about the extra funds the Government Office has secured for Barnet, Transport Minister Tony McNulty said: "Street lighting schemes mean safer roads for both drivers and pedestrians. The Government is committed to improving safety on our roads and for residents. This private finance initiative will bring real rewards." For further information on Stela and LED street lighting call WRTL on 0121 521 1234 email sales@wrtl.co.uk or visit www.wrtl.co.uk ENDS

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