# Cost of Street Lighting in a Private Development?



## Odrene (13 Feb 2017)

*Cost of Street Lighting in a Private Development?*


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## Odrene (13 Feb 2017)

Hello, 
Can you tell me the approx yearly cost of Street Lighting (for about 12 lamp posts) in a Private Development?
Aso, how much would be the yearly electrical cost be to run a sewerage treatment plant for a holiday village?

Is there anyone out there working for the Electricity Board or has anyone actually seen the Electricity bills for the Common Areas of your OMC?

I have not been given any detailed accounts (just bills).
My Management Company has shown figures of €800 some years (or less) and as much as €8000 other years for the holiday village.

Can anyone explain this huge difference of cost?
Thanking.you in advance


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## Leo (13 Feb 2017)

A street light can use as little as 75W or up to 1000W for old ones. 

As for the difference in cost from year to year, no one who hasn't seen the bills and what makes them up will be able to answer that for you.


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## Odrene (13 Feb 2017)

Thanks Leo for that.


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## Odrene (13 Feb 2017)

Of course I realize that bulbs have different wattages and perhaps also different type bulbs, but surely someone out there can tell me how much the yearly electrical bill has been for the street Lighting (common areas) in your development?


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## MrEarl (14 Feb 2017)

Are there solar power alternatives worth looking at (which might reduce or entirely remove the need to pay for ongoing electricity) ?


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## Leo (14 Feb 2017)

Odrene said:


> Of course I realize that bulbs have different wattages...



Then of course you realize that there will be a huge variance between the cost of running low energy bulbs and less efficient ones? After that it's just some simple maths to work out the range of electricity costs. Also, unless you can give more details of the cost breakdowns on what exactly is covered, all anyone can do is speculate. Were lighting units or other equipment replaced? Any call outs? The only people who can answer your questions are the OMC.


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## Odrene (14 Feb 2017)

Thank you for your answers but I am still NON THE WISER.
Please allow me to clarify. My query is in fact a very simple one. I am trying to find out the average COST, with average usage of a street light. I can see from UK sites that the average running cost is stated to be in the region of 20 to30p per unit per night (ie about £2 per week) or circa £100 per annum.
Is there a competent electrician or ESB employee who can answer this simple query?


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## Jazz01 (14 Feb 2017)

Odrene, I guess any "averages" wouldn't be of any use to you - apples v oranges (even though they are all street lights), due to the varying types of lights / bulbs etc, Street lights at my estate would be totally different to someone else. You need to compare the bills for your street lights over the past number of years.
In relation to:


Odrene said:


> I have not been given any detailed accounts (just bills).


then you should request a breakdown of these, if the bills are varying so much.


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## Leo (14 Feb 2017)

Odrene said:


> My query is in fact a very simple one. I am trying to find out the average COST, with average usage of a street light. I can see from UK sites that the average running cost is stated to be in the region of 20 to30p per unit per night (ie about £2 per week) or circa £100 per annum.



If all you're looking for the electricity cost of running a light, as pointed out above, that's a very simple calculation. You don't need an electrician or ESB worker to work out primary school level maths! 1000W for one hour is 1kWh or one unit. Look up what your energy provider charges for electricity and work it out. So let's assume they're using  lamps at the efficient end of the scale, and your 12 lamps consume 1000W between them (83.3W each), and a middle of the road electricity rate of 15c a unit per hour. Your electricity cost is 15c an hour. Work that out times the length of time they're on per day over the year. If they're using less efficient units, you could be consuming electricity at a rate of €1.80 per hour.

But if all you're seeing is an overall charge for lighting, there's a very good chance this covers a lot more than just electricity.


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## PeeBee (14 Feb 2017)

Hi Odrene,

A very quick perusal of the net reveals the following [historic] figures. So, don't worry about climbing up a ladder, checking the type and wattage of the bulbs, monitoring the number of hours in use and applying some obscurantist schoolboy sums  to prove that a circle is a sorta 'roundy' thing. Sit back, chill out, make a cuppa and surf the net. Why keep a dog and bark!?   Your question is a very reasonable one 


*How much does it cost to run an average UK street light per annum?*

1. I can confirm that there are 20,537 street lights in Scottish Borders Council area.
2.* It cost £27.40 to power each street light in 2010.*
3. The Council has spent £563,700 on electricity for street lights in 2010/11 to date.
4. It cost £334,142 to maintain/repair street lights in 2010/11 to date.
5. On average it costs £66 to maintain a street light for a year.
6. It cost £28.03 to power each street light in 2009.
7. In 2009/10 it cost £546,663 to power all of the Council's street lights.
8. The maintenance costs of street lights in 2009/10 were £327,156.
9. The cost of running street lights in 2011 has risen.


*How much does it cost to run an average IRISH street light per annum?*


The answer is *I personally can not give you the definitive answer!* However, the above figures from THE SCOTTISH BORDERS COUNCIL are a good starting point in guesstimating the unit costs here in IRELAND in 2017. My guess? says  €75/€100 per unit per annum, but there again, I don't gamble 


Hopefully a Lighting Engineer or other qualified person will provide the metrics.


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## PeeBee (14 Feb 2017)

Odrene,

Here's another link* to practice your 'sums'on!

Oops! As a 'newbie' I must serve my time before being allowed post a 'hot link'

Anyway, Just go to the Shropshire County Council site

Refer to: *Shropshire CC ,* 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Lamps vary in both size and power consumption, depending on whether they're used in residential areas, on a main road or in a town centre. The average cost of operating a light, inclusive of* energy cost and maintenance*, is between £40 and £80 a year. (Shropshire CC, 2017)


What is the *AVERAGE COST IN IRELAND?* Simple question. Hope the above helps. 'Keep it simple stupid' principal {KISS} applies


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## Odrene (14 Feb 2017)

Thank you very much PeeBee for your informative, constructive and amusing comments!
I am delighted to learn that I do not have to shin up the lamp post (a la Bertie Ahern!) :'( with my calculator and copy book.
Thank God for the information contained on "the Mainland" sites!  :-D.  That gives me a good reference point. 
Does anyone know if any of our Local Authorities.produce similar figures?


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## Leo (15 Feb 2017)

It's still all meaningless to your original question though, councils have dedicated staff and resources (vehicles, equipment, etc.) that must all be bought and maintained. They also gain an efficiency with scale. So comparing a council's costs with that of an OMC isn't accurate. 

Why the reluctance to ask the only people who can truly answer your question? If you are an owner, you are a member of the OMC, and thus entitled to ask for this information.


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## PeeBee (15 Feb 2017)

Leo said:


> It's still all meaningless to your original question though, councils have dedicated staff and resources (vehicles, equipment, etc.) that must all be bought and maintained. They also gain an efficiency with scale. So comparing a council's costs with that of an OMC isn't accurate.
> 
> Why the reluctance to ask the only people who can truly answer your question? If you are an owner, you are a member of the OMC, and thus entitled to ask for this information.



Hi Leo,
I respectfully disagree with you. The figures from the councils help establish a 'ball-park' and I will direct your attention to "ENERGY COST AND *MAINTENANCE*" that is included in the calculations! Economy of scale is, I would suggest, is facile and vacuous and does not explain the huge variance in the figures stated by The OP at 2 above. 

If you view my postings at the 'ASKABOUTLAW' forum you will learn that OMCs can be less than forthcoming with information and perhaps that explains why ''Odrene' is looking for a reasonable estimation.

Regards,
PeeBee


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## Dermot (15 Feb 2017)

Trying to be helpful to you without wishing to elaborate on the story behind an extraordinarily disfunctional management company.  There were no lights in one section of the estate and in another section there were.  The lights were supposedly costing €2800 per year and it was claimed that they were fitted with energy efficient bulbs on sensors. (7 lights).  We had 7 lights erected giving out a similar amount of light and the yearly cost is working out at €385 for 7 lights.


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## Odrene (15 Feb 2017)

Dermot, this is exactly the sort of information I am looking for. Thanks to yourself and Peebee for your help.


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## Leo (16 Feb 2017)

PeeBee said:


> Hi Leo,
> I respectfully disagree with you. The figures from the councils help establish a 'ball-park' and I will direct your attention to "ENERGY COST AND *MAINTENANCE*"



Councils maintenance costs will cover the cost of permanent staff, vehicles, tools, and equipment purchase, costs that simply aren't relevant to the maintenance of 12 fittings in a single development.

But my overall point is that no one here will be able to answer the underlying question as to why there is such great variance in the costs, and whether they are legitimate or not. Having a reasonable estimation of what other developments are paying still won't answer that question.

It's clear that some years, the charge was €800 or less, so we can assume that's the baseline when no maintenance is required, still does nothing to explain the €8,000 charge.


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