A green street light project in Staffordshire is set to save around £1.5 million a year in energy bills.

Staffordshire County Council's street lighting project will see half of the county's 94,000 streetlights replaced with brand new LED lights. LED lights use less electricity than traditional orange streetlights and last anywhere between 20 to 25 years. Traditional streetlights typically last only four years.

Added to this, carbon emissions from the lights are set to be reduced by 2,650 tonnes a year, they don't emit any ultraviolet or infrared light, and are 100% recyclable. Energy bills will be around 60% less, a cost saving that is enough to power more than 3,500 homes for a year.

The new initiative is all part of the County Council's mission to tackle climate change. Already, the county council specifies that any new road improvement schemes, asset replacement works and new housing developments should all have LED street lighting.

The county council is already on a 100% green energy tariff, and this project will reduce the amount of renewable energy taken from the grid so it can be used by others.

David Williams, Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said: "Just as many people are replacing old lights in their homes with LEDs to save energy, we're doing the same with streetlights up and down the county.

"Not only are LEDs more reliable, they use less electricity which is cheaper and better for the environment. They also make colours look more natural, and provide better facial recognition for security and CCTV cameras.

"With this projected £1.5 million saving we can help offset current increases in energy prices, as well as having an impact on climate change and improving public lighting across Staffordshire."

The street light project is being overseen by E.ON, who manage the county's highway lighting network on behalf of Staffordshire County Council. It is projected to take around four years to complete.