Budapest completes first phase of LED street light replacement
The City of Budapest has successfully completed the first phase of a major street lighting LED replacement project in which over 4 000 street lights have been replaced by LEDs.
The complete project, impacting 7 000 street lights in total, will result in energy savings of 37 %. The municipality has also chosen an additional option for tele-management and smart city solutions.
This city-wide LED street light project is the result of a long process of reflection and evaluation within the municipality to ensure the highest possible standards and quality. “We had quite a complex procurement evaluation which resulted in high quality, energy savings, good price and a clear warranty system,” explains Zoltán Pap, Managing Director of BDK Budapest Public Lighting.
He explains, “We conducted an exact inventory (road width, pole distance, mounting height, etc.), implemented a series of pilot projects, and studied lighting standards. We also wanted to give special attention to housing estate areas, where green spaces and parking areas, not only the road, need to be illuminated.” The city also chose a 3 000 K colour temperature, ensuring that the new lighting would be in accordance with the criteria and rules established in the Budapest lighting masterplan.
“In the process, we learnt that saving money is not always possible in every situation,” says Z. Pap. “It is true that on an operational level, costs will be reduced by roughly 30 – 40 % in the first 10 years. But there will also be extra costs related to, for example, the potential need to change drivers in 20 years, special administration needs (installation grades, warranty for 10 -14 years), the need for unit identification at the operator level, more warehousing requirements due to more types of luminaires, and of course, constant training for the staff involved.”
The next phase of the project (installation of 3 000 LED lamps) is planned to be completed in September 2019.
At a glance
- Contracting authority: City of Budapest
- Implementation: BDK – Budapest Public and Decorative Lighting Company
- Equipment: Tungsram Operations Ltd and Fénysport LUX Ltd
- Date: December 2018
An edited version of this article originally appeared in 
(Issue #8, March 2019).
- Read about urban lighting in Budapest
More on Budapest:
- Opinion on Smart Lighting: « How can cities coordinate the whole process of development to becoming a smart city? »
- Budapest completes first phase of LED street light replacement
- Budapest launches smart pole pilot
- Third edition of Cities & Lighting is out
- LUCI cities mark Earth Hour 2015
