Changes to street lighting times announced by Hertfordshire County Council

A total of 1,293 streetlights, currently running on a Full Night Light (FNL) setting, will be adjusted to Part Night Light (PNL) settings to align with the council’s street lighting policy. This means affected lights will switch off for part of the night, typically between 1am and 5am.

The changes are being made on county council-maintained roads and some private roads with public rights of way, across 50 member divisions in nine of the county’s ten districts. St Albans City & District is unaffected, as no incorrect FNL settings were identified there.

Streetlights that serve key locations such as junctions, traffic calming features, and other safety-critical areas, totalling around 949 lights, will continue to operate on a Full Night Light basis, other than most 20 mph areas, which will be Part Night Lit.

This simple adjustment is expected to deliver significant environmental and financial benefits:

• an estimated annual saving of 8.6 tonnes of carbon
• around £14,000 in energy costs avoided each year.

The change is planned for summer/autumn 2025, when longer daylight hours will help make the transition less noticeable for residents.

Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Exec Member for Highways, Hertfordshire County Council said:

“These changes are about aligning our streetlighting with agreed policy to ensure energy is used responsibly. We’re keeping safety at the heart of our approach, with lights at key locations remaining on all night. It’s a small change with a meaningful impact, for our environment, and for our budget.”

The update will be carried out through a simple reprogramming process, requiring no physical replacement of lights and taking around one week to complete.