Media Release
18 May 2016
Shining a light on street light upgrade
Watts Working Better culmination
The spotlight was on new and improved street lighting and the millions of dollars in savings the
Watts Working Better street light upgrade has achieved when project partners gathered at the
Eastbank Centre Shepparton Wednesday 18 May.
The multi-council project spanned 11 councils and will save an estimated $1.08 million annually and
$21.6 million across partner councils over the projected 20-year life of the lights.
Project partners came together to celebrate the $4.96 million project’s culmination which saw more
than 13,600 street lights upgraded to energy efficient alternatives over a number of years, resulting
in significant savings in the cost of electricity and maintenance. The switch to energy efficient street
lights will reduce carbon emissions by 106,700 tonnes over the next 20 years.
The Watts Working Better project was coordinated by the Goulburn Broken Greenhouse Alliance
and involves the partner councils of Campaspe, Greater Shepparton, Moira, Benalla, Strathbogie,
Wangaratta, Mansfield, Murrindindi and Mitchell, with Indigo and Towong Shire Councils also
recently coming on board.
Goulburn Broken Greenhouse Alliance Executive Officer Tom Brown described the project as a
landmark green investment for the region.
“Street lighting represents the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for a
large portion of utility costs for most Councils; this partnership approach has allowed Councils to
achieve significant savings in the cost of electricity and maintenance while also reducing their carbon
footprint,” Mr Brown said.
“The Watts Working Better project has been unique in that it not only achieved substantial
economic and environmental benefits, but it also delivered important community outcomes through
its recycling component whereby the old lights were dismantled and recycled.
“We were fortunate to form a partnership with Foott Waste and ConnectGV, a community
organisation providing people with a disability an opportunity to gain pre-vocational skills, which
allowed old lights to be pulled apart and recycled while also providing opportunities for meaningful
training.
“The project would not have been possible had it not been for the collaborative approach and the
willingness of each of the project partners to establish these partnerships,” Mr Brown said.
Another key component of the project was its education focus, whereby the emphasis was on
educating and informing the community on the value of energy efficiency in both the community
and the home.
“We were proud to be able to take the energy efficiency message to the community through a series
of free community energy efficiency workshops and also reach the next generation with this
message through the Watts Working Better energy efficiency in schools video competition, where
we were blown away by the sustainability visions of participating students,” Mr Brown said.
The project received $2.96 million in funding from the Australian Government, with partner councils
also contributing a combined $2 million.
The project was completed in a number of stages over several years and involved replacing existing
street lights with more energy efficient T5 fluorescent or LED lights. Additional benefits of new lights
include reduced glare, better light outputs and uniformity.
For more information on the Watts Working Better project go to www.wattsworkingbetter.com.au
or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WattsWorkingBetter
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