City Power’s communications officer, Sydney Mphahlele, is proud to announce to residents of the South that the city’s power supplier has opted for efficient energy to keep the city lit.
The changeover from conventional street lighting luminaires to energy-efficient lighting, combined with automated street light monitoring, remains part of City Power’s drive to build a green economy.
To date, City Power has commissioned a total of 23 486 public lights in the past five years. The utility has made great strides in addressing the lighting backlog. The results depict 65% coverage of formal areas and 60% of informal settlements.
Street lights enable community members to have visibility when they drive and walk at night, and a collection of residential areas benefited from 3 160 new street lights this financial year. The lights also prevent potential crimes that would otherwise take place in dark or poorly lit areas. Improved street lighting contribute significantly to the reduction in crime.
City Power, with the help of City of Joburg, has begun using lighting technology that not only offers significant cost-saving benefits but also displays reduction in energy consumption and maintenance costs.
Usually, the operational costs associated with street lighting fixtures is financially burdensome, especially the post-installation costs related to energy, maintenance and upkeep. With the new energy- efficient street lights there is considerable reduction in maintenance cost, and the lifespan lasts up to three to five times that of conventional lighting technologies.
The street lights across Johannesburg are fitted with daylight switches or photocells that switch the lights off during the day and turn them on when it becomes dark. On several occasions these daylight switches have been a target of deliberate damage, which has led to the lights burning throughout the day and night. This allows criminal syndicates to use these circuits for illegal connections.
This rampant damage, cable theft and vandalism of timing devices on street lights is derailing ongoing efforts to save electricity and it costs City Power millions of Rands every year to replace this equipment.
The theft of and damage to street lights exacerbates the power shortages we are facing as daytime burning street lights exert unnecessary pressure on the grid, which is already constrained.
City Power wishes to appeal to the residents of Johannesburg to report faulty street lights, vandalism, illegal connections, or the stealing of street lamp covers and luminaires to 0860 562 874 or 011 490 7911. Alternatively they can log their queries on www.citypower.co.za or www.citypower.mobi or through City Power’s Twitter account, @citypowerJhb. They can also report any acts of criminality and illegal connections to their nearest police station.
For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also email our offices on cvdwalt@caxton.co.za, juliem@caxton.co.za or luckyt@caxton.co.za
