SPIE employee carrying out maintenance work on street lamps.

Saving energy with LEDs: SPIE will operate public lighting in Erkelenz, Germany

Published on 19 September 2023

Erkelenz, 19 September 2023 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has been commissioned by the town of Erkelenz in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, to operate its public lighting. The ten-year contract includes further upgrading of 4,500 street lamps to LED technology. As a result of the new technology combined with a dimming profile, energy consumption will be lowered by around two-thirds, leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions of around 250 tonnes per year.

Renovation of public lighting

Up to 50% of a town or municipality’s electricity costs are attributable to public lighting. So the contract awarded to SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa by the town of Erkelenz to take on operational management of its street lighting and to globally ensure successful lighting represents an important task. It also includes measures to improve energy efficiency and thus reduce CO2 emissions and public-sector energy costs. For example, SPIE will upgrade 4,500 out of a total of 7,700 lamps to energy-saving LED technology over the next four years.

We are delighted that our concept for energy-efficient operational management won out and that we now have the opportunity to put it into practice for the town of Erkelenz,” says Nicolas May, Head of the Netze Neuss Service Office of the City Networks & Grids operational division at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa. Together with a dimming profile that reduces brightness to 30% at night, the modernisation of the lighting will result in considerable potential for savings. “By modernising the lamps, we will achieve lower energy consumption and lower light pollution for the town of Erkelenz, so that CO2 emissions and energy costs can also be reduced,” explains Ansgar Lurweg, the town’s technical deputy.

Comprehensive operational management round the clock

In addition to upgrading the lamps, the ten-year contract includes a wide range of other tasks for the eight-person team headed by Nicolas May. These include the new installation of lighting systems as well as on-call maintenance services and troubleshooting round the clock – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including a service hotline for residents. SPIE will also support the town with many other measures across the entire service range, from the planning and establishing of a new control system of the public lighting as well as counselling on funding possibilities and annual reporting. “Together with our customers, we at SPIE particularly work to promote energy efficiency and digitalisation. With this in mind, we will also ensure successful lighting in Erkelenz over the next ten years”, says Peter Pfannenstiel, General Manager of the City Networks & Grids operational division at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa.

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