Shining a spotlight on high-efficiency LEDs for outdoor lighting

Pedestrian safety has been improved at Charles Sturt University’s Orange campus, along with increased efficiency, following a major outdoor lighting upgrade project targeting street lighting, security and general building perimeter lights. A total of 102 lights, previously using outdated technology such as mercury vapour lamps, have been replaced with high-efficiency LEDs.

The installed lights operate with 75 per cent lower energy consumption than the previous equipment and are projected to save Charles Sturt more than 72,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and nearly $20,000 in energy-related costs per year. The project focused on diverting as much material as possible from the old equipment away from landfill, including recycling metal components and responsibly disposing of removed globes to allow for the recovery of heavy metals. The new LEDs also offer much longer lifespans compared to the technology they replaced, leading to further cost savings and reduced waste from the disposal of failed components.