Hobart
Case Study
Sandy Bay, Hobart,
Tasmania
Hobart Council was
aiming to make substantial
cost savings and reduce
carbon emissions through
the introduction of a new
street lighting monitoring
and control system.
The Council has an estimated
40,000 street lights to
maintain and was looking to
install a system which would
eliminate waste energy so that
it could comply with initiatives
such as Cities for Climate
Protection Australia and Local
Greenhouse Action.
Engineers at the Council were
keen to introduce a system
that would allow them to
dim street lights, rather than
actually switching them off
completely – a controversial
option that some Councils
have chosen to implement.
In addition, Hobart Council
required a system which
would also allow its operators
to quickly bring street lights
back up to full power at the
‘touch of a button’ if required.
Two of the main environmental
impacts of public lighting in
Hobart are stray light and
light pollution of the sky.
Light pollution and stray
light can obscure the stars,
interfere with astronomical
observatories and, like any
other form of pollution,
disrupt ecosystems leading to
adverse health effects. A key
requirement, therefore, was
that the system should reduce
the environmental impacts
that street lighting has.
Key benefits
Street lights dimmed by up to 50%
at certain periods during the night
on the Sandy Bay Foreshore area of
Hobart, near Manning Reef.
Savings of 151 tonnes of carbon
emissions over the course of the
system’s 30 year lifetime
Flexibility of the system enables
street lights to be brought back to
full power at the ‘touch of a button’
Hobart Council is on course to
comply with the Climate Protection
Australia and Local Greenhouse
Action initiatives
Stray light and light pollution are
reduced as lights are dimmed
resulting in less light polluting the
night skies
Hobart, Tasmania
Hobart
Case Study
and stray light that their street
benefitted from being able
lighting permits has also been
to dim street lights in quieter
reduced by LeafNut, as lights
areas at carefully selected
are dimmed to the minimum
times of the night and as
intensity necessary, whilst
a result, it is achieving
still fulfilling their purpose,
significant reductions in
resulting in less light polluting
overall energy consumption,
the night skies.
as well as saving money on its
Hobart Council has, so far,
Sandy Bay, Hobart, Tasmania
energy bills.
The Hobart Solution
Hobart Council is currently
piloting the LeafNut
scheme on the Sandy
Bay Foreshore area, near
Manning Reef.
The trial is providing the
council with a simple and
flexible way of dimming street
lights by up to 50% at certain
“Public street lighting
is a significant source
of greenhouse gas
emissions for Local
Authorities, so we are
keen to look at ways
of reducing them. The
LeafNut system allows
reduced lighting levels
at particular times
of night.”
Mr George Wilkie
Hobart Council
periods during the night in
quieter areas.
In the more frequently used
areas, such as the public
amenities, lighting levels
profiles means the potential
to reduce carbon emissions is
significantly improved.
are maintained at 100%. The
Hobart’s key requirement of
ability to set these flexible
reducing the light pollution
Sandy Bay, Hobart, Tasmania
LeafNut has delivered Hobart Council with the combined benefits of providing improved maintenance management,
lower energy consumption and reduced carbon emissions whilst, also, keeping areas of high activity safe.
The total control system
for street lighting
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