Portsmouth City Council Trials LED Street Lights from Gemma Lighting

Portsmouth City Council (PCC) is working with Gemma Lighting to trial the first LED street lights in the city. The Jupiter 60XL110 range of lights were designed and manufactured by the LED specialist in the UK and have the potential to cut the council’s street lighting bill by 50 per cent.

The Portsmouth fixtures are also the first LED street lights in the UK to have the control gear situated at the base of the column. To improve ease of access for the PCC maintenance team, Gemma Lighting designed a bespoke LED gear tray that contains both the driver and fuse, as well as accommodating a photocell.

The trial supports Portsmouth City Council’s low carbon vision, where it is committed to reducing emissions by 30 per cent from operational buildings, transport and waste by 2014. The Jupiter LED lights being trialled will reduce energy as they consume 70 watts compared to the 170 watts used by the current system. The fixtures’ photocell light sensor also automatically switches on the LED, reducing energy wastage normally experienced with traditional timer systems.

Portsmouth City Council said: “Our carbon management plan lays out measures for reducing the city’s carbon emissions over the next five years. It is initiatives such as this LED trial that could help us to do this in the future. The initial feedback from the trial has been encouraging and we will continue to monitor the LED lighting to review the benefits it could bring the city in the long-term.”

Gemma Lighting has already installed over 2,000 Jupiter LED Street Lights across the world. The Jupiter solid-state LED chips have a lifespan of 50-80,000 hours (10-15 years of use), are vandalism resistant and create a pure white light that improves safety for pedestrians and motorists. They are also easy to install with each fitting taking less than 30 minutes to fit and test.

Craig Manuel, Managing Director of Gemma Lighting, said: “Our products have been designed and manufactured in the UK for the last seven years. Both the energy and cost savings that can be made with our systems has already been proven in projects with the likes of BAA and Buckingham Palace. We are pleased that such customers recognise our reputation for excellence and are continuing to support UK manufactured products.”