LED lighting for municipalities

Each province, municipality and government agency faces its own challenges and choices in energy transition. This freedom of choice offers opportunities to implement their own appropriate policies, but also creates practical obstacles. Consider limitations in available budgets, setting the right priorities and the scarcity of technical staff. LED lighting offers a concrete answer to many of these issues. In this article you will read how your province or municipality can make the switch to LED lighting effectively, affordably and sustainably.

Why LED lighting?

The benefits of LED are clear: should all of the Netherlands switch to LED lighting tomorrow, we will immediately save some 6.5 TWh of electricity annually. This amounts to a significant reduction of approximately 2.9 million tons of CO₂ emissions per year. Despite this, by 2023 only 30% of public lighting uses LED technology. This while lighting is a relatively simple and highly effective measure to quickly achieve energy savings. Especially given the national ambition to have all public lighting fully converted to LED by 2028, it is important that provinces and municipalities get to work now.

Quick results

Switching to LED lighting is relatively easy in practical terms. It means not only immediate results in energy savings, but also lower operating costs due to reduced maintenance requirements. In addition, LED lighting helps governments meet important legal obligations, such as achieving at least energy label C for public and municipal buildings and complying with the energy savings obligation.

In addition, LED eases pressure on the energy grid. Especially given the growing grid congestion in the Netherlands, where in some regions even new connections have become impossible, leather lighting offers direct relief from this problem. After all, less consumption means more capacity for necessary growth and further sustainability.

Switching to smart LED lighting

Beyond the basic benefit of energy savings, smart LED technology offers even greater possibilities. Smart lighting works with sensors, presence detection and remote control, ensuring that lights are only on when and where they are needed. That means additional energy savings of up to 80%. Smart lighting also provides real-time insight into energy consumption, making management and maintenance more efficient.

Benefits of smart LED lighting

• Significantly lower management costs through centralized management
• Automatic detection and quick troubleshooting
• Increased traffic and social safety thanks to better matched lighting
• Reduced light pollution, which helps protect biodiversity
• Positive effects on livability and local economy through more attractive public spaces

Less maintenance

A key issue in switching to LED is reducing maintenance costs. Cheaper LED solutions seem attractive, but often suffer from problems such as premature failure and higher maintenance costs over time. High-quality luminaires, on the other hand, last significantly longer, reducing replacement and repair costs. Especially in a market where technical personnel are scarce, this is very important.

Smart LED systems with integrated monitoring reduce the number of physical maintenance occasions. This not only lowers management costs, but also reduces environmental impact by requiring fewer physical inspection rounds.

Circular lighting

When switching to LED lighting, circularity is an important consideration. Governments are required to tender sustainably, which means that reuse, recycling and responsible use of materials are also considered. LED lighting lends itself perfectly to circularity because luminaires can easily be repaired or upgraded. We do this ourselves in our own factory in Deurne.

By setting clear requirements in tenders about circularity and recycling, provinces and municipalities can actively contribute to the transition to a circular economy. In the Netherlands, 92% of collected lighting is already suitable for recycling, allowing provinces and municipalities to make a clear contribution to a more sustainable Netherlands.

How to switch.

Each municipality or province can decide how best to switch to LED lighting. For large-scale renovations, it makes sense to switch completely to LED immediately. When luminaires are not yet fully depreciated, a phased approach may be wiser. This approach allows learning from earlier phases and gaining experience with different techniques and systems.

The choice depends on factors such as the state of current lighting, financial situation and policy priorities. The important thing here is to focus not only on immediate costs, but more importantly on the total costs and benefits in the longer term.

Create support

Essential for a successful switch to LED lighting is the creation of internal support. This requires clear communication, supported by practical information and calculations of potential savings. Lixero helps with sound advice, clear business cases, lighting plans and savings calculations. By involving teams from different disciplines (such as environment, engineering and finance), internal commitment to the switch to LED is created.

Getting started with LED lighting

We have written out a short roadmap so you can easily get started with LED lighting.

1. Inventory

Map the current situation, or have it done: what lighting is there, how old is it and what is its energy consumption?

2. Analysis

Make an analysis of possible energy savings and the financial impact in both the short and long term.

3. Draw up tender

Establish a clear and circular tender in which sustainable and qualitative criteria are paramount. This has the best long-term results.

4. Lighting partner selection

Choose a reliable partner that can provide smart solutions, quality products and installation and management support.

5. Implementation and monitoring

Ensure proper implementation, monitoring of results and continuous adjustment.

These steps will ensure that your municipality or province not only meets legal obligations and sustainability goals, but also benefits long-term from lower costs, less maintenance and better livability in public spaces.

Lixero is happy to help!

We are happy to help you every step of the way. Together we will make the switch to LED practical, feasible and effective. Don’t wait any longer and contact us today.