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STREET lights in Nottingham are set to shine less brightly as part of a bid to make the city carbon neutral by 2016.
Nottingham City Council has launched a bid to cut its carbon emissions by 30% by 2016.
It plans to reduce the amount of energy used on street lights by 30% by dimming them and setting up a private finance initiative to replace the bulbs with ones which are more energy efficient.
Energy usage will also be cut in schools and other public buildings and the mileage of its fleet of vehicles will be cut.
Carbon offsetting and trading schemes will also be set up to cut emissions by the remaining 70%, which will make the council entirely carbon neutral.
Safety chiefs have urged caution in dimming street lights, as it could lead to more accidents on the road.
Carl Christopher, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “We understand the need for councils to balance carbon emissions but we would urge that dimming projects are carried out after a proper risk assessment.
“There is a chance that if you dim the lights it increases the risk of accidents and fatalities.”
Councillors have been told that becoming carbon neutral makes business sense as it will save millions of pounds in energy costs.
If the council did nothing, annual energy prices will double from £12m in 2007/08 to £24.1m in 2015/16.
But by making a 30% reduction in energy usage, this rise could be limited to £4m.
The city council’s director of resources Carole Mills-Evans said: “The Carbon Management Plan contains a wide ranging set of projects which will introduce energy reduction programmes across the city council buildings and operations.
“This will include housekeeping improvements, energy management and training seminars to key staff members and setting very high standards for all new buildings.
“Delivery of the Carbon Management Plan will also support the establishment of a ‘low carbon culture’ across Nottingham City Council and will support the development of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).
“It will also demonstrate local leadership on sustainability by reducing its own carbon footprint.”
A report on the plans went before the council’s Regeneration and Sustainability Select Committee on Tuesday for comments before being taken to the Executive Board on March 17.
The plans to make carbon savings of 30% include:
Nine per cent through property rationalisation – resulting in a 20% reduction in energy use in buildings (excluding schools).
Six per cent by reducing the business mileage of the council’s fleet vehicles, as well as policy measures and low carbon solutions in refurbishment and new buildings.
Five per cent through a 30% reduction from street lighting energy use, through street light dimming and a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project.
A 40% reduction in energy used by schools will contribute another three per cent.
Leisure centres will also be asked to make 20% energy savings and offices to use ten per cent less energy to make up the final three per cent.
Nigel Lee, of Nottingham Friends of the Earth, said: “We want to see at least a 40% reduction by 2020.
“If they are going to make 30% by 2015/16 they will be on target to do that.
“A 30% reduction by 2015/16 is the minimum we would expect local authorities to be aiming at and we will monitor it carefully to make sure they do achieve that and have plans for 2020 and beyond.
“We would be skeptical about claims to be carbon neutral on the basis of carbon trading and offsetting. We are concerned about people reducing their own emissions and anything they do in terms of carbon trading and offsetting is additional to that.”