Lights out earlier? Exeter leads streetlight switch-off trial

Exeter will be one of the first areas to take part in a new 12-month trial that will alter the dimming regime of around 80% of Devon’s residential streetlights.

The scheme, launching in April, follows a successful pilot in Abbotskerswell, Holcombe Rogus, Kingskerswell and Sidmouth, where 550 streetlights were tested with earlier switch-off times and greater dimming.

Thanks to a Central Management System upgrade, Devon County Council can now remotely adjust around 80% of the county’s 80,000 streetlights, reducing energy use without compromising safety.

According to the council, the trial could reduce carbon emissions by 225 tonnes per year and save up to £300,000 annually at current energy prices.

The rollout will start in Exeter, before returning to the original pilot areas and then extending to market towns such as Ashburton, Barnstaple, Crediton and Honiton, followed by rural communities.

In Exeter, streetlights in residential areas will be:

• Dimmed to 40% between 9.30pm and 12.30am

• Switched off from 12.30am to 5.30am

• Returned to 40% dimming between 5.30am and 6.30am

Market towns and rural areas will have slightly earlier dimming and switch-off times, reflecting different patterns of night-time activity.

The current policy on lighting main roads will remain unchanged. The council has worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police, both during the pilot and in developing the expanded trial.

If any safety concerns are raised, the Central Management System allows for immediate lighting adjustments.

Cllr Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said the initial pilot had proved effective:

“The initial pilot of these changes to streetlight dimming hours and output has provided us with a good test bed. There was positive feedback to that pilot and that has helped inform the trial over the next 12 months.

“This provides us with reduced carbon emissions and lower energy bills but ensures that safety isn’t compromised.”

Devon first introduced part-night streetlighting in 2009, with its current policy in place since 2019. The rollout of LED lighting, dimming, and more efficient infrastructure has already reduced electricity use from 31 million kWh in 2015/16 to 12 million kWh in 2023/24, saving around £6 million a year.