This is why street lights in Sheffield are going to be dimmed

The old sodium, yellow glow traditional street lights have already been converted to lower energy, bright white LED lights.

In 2013, sodium lights resulted in 17,168 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Five years later, when all the lights had been converted to new LED lamps, this massively reduced to 6,848 tonnes.

A new control system also means the council can adjust the times and intensity of lights on individual lampposts and on different streets.

Now, following a successful trial in Endcliffe, Meersbrook and Crosspool, street lights will be dimmed across the city meaning a further 10 per cent reduction in emissions.

Gillian Charters, at Sheffield Council, says in a report: "Historically, street lighting intensity has been set to accommodate the maximum amount of traffic density on a road.

"This density may only occur for short periods of the day such as morning and evening rush hour.

"As a result, for long periods, streetlights are over lighting the highway and neighbourhoods and adding to carbon emissions and light pollution as well as wasting money.”

For traffic routes, light intensity will reduce between sunset and 8pm and from 6am and sunrise during the winter.

For residential areas, it will reduce between sunset and midnight and from 6am and sunrise during the winter.

The greatest saving is made from 8pm to 6am on traffic routes and from midnight to 6am in residential areas when the lighting intensity will reduce from 54 per cent to 40 per cent.

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