Replacing 48,524 street lights with LED lamps cut 53.76% UT power load: Study

The high-pressure sodium vapour lamps of 70 watt were replaced with the LED street lights of 35 watt. These sodium vapour lamps would consume 291.36 kilowatt energy and after the replacement to LEDs, the power consumption reduced to 127.47 kilowatt.

street lights replacement, LED lamps on highways, power load management, new research, Chandigarh civic body, World Environment Day, indian express, indian express news

The fluorescent tubular lamp (40W) were replaced with LED street lights of 18 watt and that helped in saving 352.97 kilowatt energy.

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Replacing 48,524 conventional street lights and lamps with LED lamps cut down the power load in Chandigarh by 53.76 per cent, thereby saving 13.02 million electricity units, a study by the Chandigarh civic body has found ahead of the World Environment Day on Monday.

While speaking to The Indian Express, Municipal Commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “We conducted a study and found that by replacing the basic street lights with the LEDs the total power load reduced by 3,242 kilo watt which corresponds to 53.76 per cent reduction in load. It implies that it saved 13.02 million electricity units, that is around Rs 6 crore of savings on electricity bill each year.” Mitra said that the same helped in reducing the carbon emission to a considerable extent.

The study revealed that not just this, an annual GHG emission reduction equivalent to 10,543 metric tons of CO2 has been estimated out of this exercise.

“To achieve Sustainable Development Goals and to make the city more energy-efficient, reduce carbon emissions and electricity expenditure. Our Chandigarh Municipal Corporation had replaced all conventional street light lamps with energy-efficient LED streetlights and flood lights which led to this remarkable change,” Mitra said.

As per the study, the majority of the conventional lights in Chandigarh which were draining out a lot of electricity in the city were high-pressure sodium vapour street lights of 150 watt capacity. They consumed 3,158.1 kilowatt electricity and after they were replaced with 80 watt LED street lights, they consumed just 1,531.2 kilowatt electricity and that resulted in saving 1,626.9 kilowatt energy, which was the highest of all categories of street lights or lamps installed in the city.

Then there were metal halide lamps of 400 watts. These lamps consumed 1074.92 kilo watts in the UT and were replaced entirely with the LED flood lights of 200 watts which consumed 488.6 kilowatt, thereby saving 586.32 kilowatt of electricity.

Next in line were high-pressure sodium vapour lamps of 250 watts that were installed in Chandigarh. They consumed 908.05 kilowatt of power and when they were replaced with LED street or flood lights of 120 watt, they consumed only 396.24 kilowatt of energy, thereby saving 511.81 kilowatt.

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The high-pressure sodium vapour lamps of 70 watt were replaced with the LED street lights of 35 watt. These sodium vapour lamps would consume 291.36 kilowatt energy and after the replacement to LEDs, the power consumption reduced to 127.47 kilowatt.

The fluorescent tubular lamp (40W) were replaced with LED street lights of 18 watt and that helped in saving 352.97 kilowatt energy.

Solar panels

The Chandigarh civic body earned Rs 2,73,67,500 annually through its 30 per cent share in the revenue earned through sale of energy to DISCOM and effectively reducing the carbon footprint by 9,770.8 metric tonnes per year.

The MC has installed solar rooftop plants with the combined capacity of 680 KWp on community centres and the Municipal Corporation building which it stated that in turn has led to an annual saving of Rs 22,10,000 on electricity bills. The civic body has also approved the installation of 915 KWP solar rooftop plants on 15 of its buildings, including the fire station and other community centres. Additionally, solar rooftop plants of 1350 KWp are to be installed on three material recovery facility stations and 700 KWp on sheds at Raipur Kalan gaushala.

Hina Rohtaki

Hina Rohtaki is a Special Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Chandigarh. She is one of the most prominent journalists covering the Chandigarh Administration, civic issues, and the unique political status of the Union Territory. Professional Background Experience: She has been in the field for over a decade and is known for her investigative reporting on administrative waste and urban governance. Awards: She is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award, which was presented to her by the President of India in January 2020. She was also awarded the Jethmalani prize (The Will of Steel Awards) in 2025 in the Empowerment category for a series of articles that highlighted the struggles of Covid widows. Core Beat: Her primary focus is the Chandigarh administrative structure, the Union Territory's financial management, and urban development projects. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent work highlights a focus on government accountability, administrative expenditures, and civic trends: 1. Investigative & Financial Reporting "Fuelling power: Senior UT IAS officers guzzled petrol worth Rs 30 lakh in 2 yrs" (Dec 14, 2025): An investigative report detailing the high fuel bills of top bureaucrats, including the Finance Secretary and Chief Secretary’s staff. "Admn spends Rs 1.5 crore on dismantling road railings and fixing again after increasing height" (Dec 8, 2025): Highlighting administrative waste on "non-viable" solutions for pedestrian control. "Chandigarh’s finances under ministry’s watch now" (Nov 27, 2025): Reporting on the new requirement for MHA approval for all new projects in the UT. 2. Governance & Constitutional Status "What will it mean for Chandigarh if it is brought under Article 240?" (Nov 24, 2025): An "Explained" piece on the potential constitutional shift that would grant the President more power over the UT's governance. "MP Manish Tewari moves Bill seeking directly elected Mayor with 5-year tenure" (Dec 6, 2025): Covering the legislative push to reform Chandigarh's municipal leadership structure. "No proposal to increase Mayor's term in Chandigarh by 5 years: Centre" (Dec 10, 2025): Reporting on the Union government's response to demands for a longer mayoral term. 3. Urban Infrastructure & Environment "Chandigarh admn cuts power to India's tallest air purifier, asks firm to dismantle it" (Nov 17, 2025): A critical report on the failure of a high-cost environmental project deemed "of no use" by experts. "UT rethinks 24/7 water supply project as costs soar" (Nov 26, 2025): Detailing the financial challenges and delays in modernizing the city's water network. "Centre 'obfuscating, covering up' MC's shifting deadlines for clearing Dadu Majra dump" (Dec 12, 2025): Reporting on the ongoing controversy surrounding the city's major waste dump. 4. Lifestyle & Local Trends "Chandigarh turns into a Thar city as women fuel the surge" (Dec 2, 2025): A feature on a unique automotive trend in the city, with a record 600 registrations by women drivers this year. "After fivefold spike in 2023, EV sales struggle to pick pace in Chandigarh" (Dec 2, 2025): Analyzing the slowdown in electric vehicle adoption despite previous surges. Signature Beat Hina is known for her meticulous tracking of RTI (Right to Information) data to expose administrative inefficiency. Her "Ground Zero" reporting on the Dadu Majra garbage dump and her scrutiny of the Chandigarh Smart City projects have made her a key figure in the city’s civil society discourse. X (Twitter): @HinaRohtaki ... Read More

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