Lights promise energy savings

Working as part of the Norfolk Strategic Partnership (NSP), we've recently completed a project to install Extra Low Voltage (ELV) traffic lights, which have the potential to deliver significant energy savings.

In partnership with Norfolk County Council and Siemens, we managed the project to change the layout of the crossing at the intersection of the A11 and A140 in Norwich, and replace the old traffic lights with ELV lights.

"If all traffic signals were ELV we could decommission a nuclear power station"

Andrew Nicholson, NSP

The crossing is one of the first in the UK to be fully ELV, with the heads, controllers and cabling operating at a dramatically reduced voltage. For example, the controller will carry a current of just 48v compared to the 240v of a normal controller.

This should lead to considerable energy savings and be far safer if the system is damaged in a road traffic accident. ELV is also safer to install than higher-voltage models.

A meter has been fitted to the new lights to work out the savings and, should the results demonstrate the expected level of efficiency, it is likely that ELV traffic lights will be rolled out more widely across the county.

Andrew Nicholson, NSP Supply Chain Works Manager, said: "The lights use exciting technology which has only just become available from Siemens. Tests have indicated that if all traffic signals in the country were ELV, the energy saving would enable a nuclear power station to be decommissioned."

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