Vienna begins 2nd phase of major lamp replacement project

The project will see Vienna become safer and more energy-efficient by replacing street lighting

Less energy consumption, more traffic safety and less light pollution, all thanks to the modern LED lamps in the climate model of the city of Vienna. The first stage of converting conventional lights on Vienna's streets to modern LED technology was successfully completed at the end of 2020 with a total of 50,000 modern suspended luminaires now illuminating the Austrian capital’s streets.

Proceeding with upgrades

Phase 2 of the project is now starting, during which 80,000 so-called “attachment lights”, i.e. those lamps that are attached to a mast, are being replaced. The mega-project started earlier last week in Ottakring and will run until 2026.

“The replacement of the lamps is an essential contribution to climate protection, because in phase 1 alone, by replacing the hanging luminaires with LED lamps, 60% of the energy previously required could be saved, we save more than 700 tons of CO2 per year - an active contribution to the climate model city”, says city councillor Ulli Sima, who is responsible for lighting.

If you add up all 50,000 luminaires, that is 11.3 million kWh per year - this corresponds to the energy requirements of 2,500 Viennese households per year. A halving of the previous energy consumption is expected for phase 2.

One of the most important tasks of public lighting is to ensure road safety. The new luminaires produce high-quality, uniform brightness of streets and sidewalks, which ensures that traffic obstacles are well perceived.

In the future, all luminaires in a street will have the same light colour, conflict zones such as unregulated intersections and protective routes will be illuminated more intensively. The street lighting is dimmed for reasons of efficiency. Exceptions to this are conflict zones and the footpaths and bike paths in Vienna.

The new LED lights illuminate footpaths and bike paths as well as natural areas with a warmer light colour of 3,000 Kelvin (warm white). 4,000 Kelvin (neutral white) are used in street lighting. This corresponds roughly to the colour temperature of the moonlight.

In addition to saving energy, the new lights also bring better sleep for many Viennese, as less light penetrates into the living room thanks to the improved lighting. The direct brightening of the night sky is avoided.

The insects are also happy about the new lights: a study on the Danube Island showed that new LED light sources that shine downwards attract around 80 percent fewer insects than the old lighting, thus significantly improving their chances of survival and benefitting not only the city and its residents but also its flora and fauna.