LED streetlights saving Laois County Council an incredible sum in electricity bills

Laois is leading many other counties in a swapover to low energy streetlights and it is saving the council a fortune in electricity bills.

However the white bulbs are "not half the quality" a local councillor complains.

Laois County Council says it has had to pause the changeover to the new LED streetlights, as it instead worked to replace broken lights around the county, filling a gap left by its contractor.

The saving now amounts to an incredible €500,000 a year, says Laois County Council Director Simon Walton.

"The upgrade to LED lighting was slightly stalled this year because our focus and resources was diverted to maintenance of the network," Mr Walton said.

The refocus on repairs follows a long litany of complaints by councillors about lights not being fixed by the contractor, with some asking for the contractor to be "sacked" earlier this year.

The director was speaking at the annual budget meeting of Laois County Council on Monday, November 10, when it was heard that nearly €1.4m will be spent on public lighting in 2026. It is down from €1.49m in 2025.

"County Laois is ahead of a lot of other local authorities. About 70% of our lighting retrofitted is retrofitted.

"I note your comment about the standard. However we will be looking for about half a million or more in the budget for the public lighting service.

"The LED retrofit has saved about a half a million euros annually in terms of energy costs due to the fact that 70% is now retrofitted. We have about 10,000 public lights. 

Cllr Ben Brennan had said he's "not sorry" that the council had halted the swap from yellow streetlights to white LEDs.

"Is the upgrade stopped? I'm not sorry. The lighting you put in is not half the quality. You don't get the same span from the light. 

"It's saving money we're told but the lights are not strong enough for the money they are costing. The only solution is to put in more lights, if you don't we are going to be in trouble," Cllr Brennan warned.

LED lights use less electricity but are not all good for the environment, as they adversely affect birds, bats, pollinators and even people.

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The Heritage Council of Ireland has an Environmentally Friendly Lighting Guide which states that "the widespread use of LED lights, which often emit high levels of blue light, further affects both ecology and human health, especially when cloudy skies reflect this light back down. To address these problems, it’s advisable to use warmer lighting and ensure that all lights are shielded to prevent light from shining upwards or into unintended areas."