The Perth Hills Climate Change Interest Group (PHCCIG) congratulates the Shire of Mundaring for their decision to convert Mundaring’s streetlights to LED globes.
In December 2019, the Shire’s Council declared a Climate Emergency, calling for State and Federal Governments to urgently act to reduce emissions, increase resources for firefighting, and assist local governments to adapt to climate change emergencies.
During 2020/2021, greenhouse gas emissions from street lighting accounted for 38 per cent of the Shire’s carbon footprint.
The environmental benefits of a switch to LED are a reduction in:
- carbon emissions – an expected reduction of more than 47%
- mercury pollution (LED lights contain no mercury), and
- light pollution.
The PHCCIG was one of the community voices that lobbied and worked with the Shire to change the streetlights of Mundaring from incandescent to LED lights to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change risk.
Streetlights are owned by Western Power and negotiating the changeover to LED lights was complex and challenging given the nature of the shared responsibilities across different levels of government. Shire Councillors and staff worked closely with the State government and Western Power to overcome obstacles to conversion. The Federal government supported the initiative with a $1.4m grant towards the project.
This initiative will not only reduce emissions, but also reduce the Shire’s power bill by almost $300,000 – freeing up ratepayer funds for other services. Whilst the streetlights on Gt Eastern Highway are presently excluded from the current LED project, plans are afoot to convert them at a later stage. The conversion will commence shortly with the works to be completed by the end of 2025.
PHCCIG strongly advocated for the Shire to undertake this important initiative and is delighted with their splendid response.