Work to upgrade the more than 1600 streetlights to energy efficient technology will begin in coming weeks as part of a major energy efficiency project by Council that they say will save hundreds of thousands in electricity bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for ratepayers.

The switch to LED technology will see a 427 MWh per year reduction in power use, delivering savings of approximately $141,000 each year in maintenance and electricity costs, according to Council.

The project was made possible through $808,069 in grant funding from the NSW Government's Resources for Regions Fund with more than $200,000 co-contributed by Council.

General Manager, Brad Cam said Council was committed to becoming more sustainable, and the LED upgrade is just one of Council's initiatives to achieve energy and operational efficiencies over the next four years.

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"Street lighting is a significant expense for Council, costing around $400,000 each year," Mr Cam said.

"The upgrade will go a long way to reducing costs and providing significant long-term savings. LEDs are more energy efficient, require less maintenance and have a significantly longer life.

"Council also understands the importance of the heritage value particular lights have in our towns and villages and extra care will be taken to ensure more than 140 heritage lights throughout the region are retained as part of the upgrade."

Essential Energy Streetlight Manager, Adele Finch said the organisation is responsible for the maintenance and billing of more than 160,000 streetlights serving more than 85 councils across NSW and parts of southern Queensland.

"Public lighting plays an important role in providing safe, secure and attractive public areas for both pedestrians and motorists," Miss Finch said. "The new LED street lighting for Mid-Western Regional Council will not only provide a more reliable, better quality lighting service, but will deliver savings of more than 53 per cent in energy consumption."

LED upgrades in Rylstone and Kandos continue to be investigated, however.

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