KINGSTON UPON THAMES, UK

The A3 has been one of London's most important approaches for centuries, serving as a major thoroughfare connecting the City of London and Portsmouth. Running through areas such as Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere, and Petersfield, the A3 is crucial for both local and long-distance travel.

Following the successful street lighting upgrades undertaken by the London Borough of Kingston, which aimed to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption by replacing ageing streetlights with modern LEDs, Transport for London (TfL) embarked on a project to upgrade the high mast lighting strategically positioned along the 13 km stretch of the A3 bypass near Kingston upon Thames. This initiative's main aim was to enhance safety and efficiency.

Working on behalf of FM Conway, Transport for London's contractor on their Highway Maintenance and Projects Framework contract, CU Phosco were asked to replace 162 SONT lanterns with 116 P855 LED luminaires on 27 high masts. The P855 luminaire, a cutting-edge, dark sky-friendly, high mast LED solution, boasts a 360° rotating STAR-optic® design. Its compact yet powerful structure ensures optimal optical and thermal performance, maintaining low weight and wind area. This makes it the perfect retrofit solution for the A3's existing high masts.

P855's luminaire efficacy of up to 160 lm/W, precision optics and high-performance LEDs, reduce the required number of luminaires by 46, helping to keep energy costs and consumption low.

CU Phosco provided comprehensive services, including lighting design, installation, and annual maintenance, ensuring the project met TfL's safety, efficiency, and sustainability standards.

Installing CU Phosco's advanced LED luminaires not only enhanced visibility and safety for road users but also resulted in a remarkable 80.5% energy savings. This significant reduction in operational costs, coupled with the reduced maintenance requirements, led to a quick payback period of just 2.26 years. This financial efficiency is a testament to the success of the project and its contribution to TfL's environmental goals by cutting carbon emissions.

FM Conway praised the collaboration, stating, "It's becoming more and more important to our clients that sustainability factors into infrastructure upgrades, and TfL are no exception. CU Phosco offered a solution that not only offered significant energy savings but also allowed us to reduce the number of assets on the network, providing added efficiency benefits."