STREETLIGHTS ACROSS DONEGAL may be turned off late at night in order to save money.

The council spends around €1.9 million a year on public lighting and says that it is examining ways that it can cut this figure.

A spokesperson says the council is “currently exploring a number of possibilities with a view to increasing energy efficiency and reducing the cost of public lighting”.

This includes exploring the possibilities offered by solar power and turbine driven lights and we had installed some of these on a trial basis. In the coming months, it is intended to replace a number of existing solar lights with an improved product.

The spokesperson said that the council is continuing to evaluate ways to be more green on an ongoing basis.

“We also have a number of evaluations done on introducing more energy efficient bulbs/lamps, however, many of these require capital investment which we are unable to provide at the moment.

“The council is also currently in the early stages of exploring the issues around the dimming of public lighting from “Dusk to Dawn” and “smart chips” in lights but this approach would require much further consideration.”

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