Street lights in parts of Kingskerswell are being dimmed during the night in a test to see how much energy is saved and to help cut back on carbon gas they produce. The trial, which has been set up by Devon County Council, is taking place in The Roundway, Aller Close, Farm Close and Midway in an effort to save energy. During the experiment, which will continue until March, lights are softened from 11pm until 6am, the power being reduced from 250 watts to 150 watts. The Roundway has 17 lights which are currently set to dim, but the council has stated it will not dim lighting on the the footpath link to Coles lane. David Whitton, head of waste, engineering and transport services, said: 'The report addresses the issue of street lighting in the context of the county council's strategic objective of making Devon England's greenest county. 'As part of the Devon County Council Carbon Management Programme, some of the county council's activities have been considered in detail, which showed that street lighting makes a major contribution to the county's carbon footprint. 'The report sets out some of the options and possibilities for reducing street lighting energy consumption and as a consequence, its carbon emissions. 'Options include part night lighting, removal of non-essential lighting, conversion to more energy efficient equipment, reducing night time lighting levels, new technology and green energy supply. 'The report sets the scene for a review of current practice, and this will continue to a conclusion over the coming months. 'It will lead to a new street lighting policy, which builds on the good progress made to date, and continues the drive for improved energy efficiency in street lighting. 'No decisions have been made at this stage on changes to street lighting in Devon, and the process of considering options for change will take on board a number of factors, including the role of street lighting in road safety and in addressing night time crime and the fear of crime. Mr Whitton was quick to point out that dimming the lights would not be a hazard to road users. 'Night dimming makes very little difference to pedestrians and drivers and I don't think they would notice the change,' he said. 'Junctions are not dimmed in the interest of road safety.' The trials of night dimming will inform the new policy, and will enable a countywide approach to be adopted and a target CO2 saving for the county to be established. 'Night dimming is part of a package of energy/carbon saving initiatives for street lighting and again, the target savings for the package will be calculated when the policy is developed.'
