Planering och beslutsprocesser för energieffektivare väg- och gatubelysning i svenska kommuner. [Planning and decision-making for more energy efficient road and street lighting in Swedish municipalities.]

Although there has been considerably more energy-efficient road and street lighting available on the market than the light fixtures that dominate in Swedish municipalities today, there are relatively few investments and re-investments in energy-efficient and modern fixtures. This report summarizes an interview-based study of planning, decision making processes, responsibilities, and stakeholder involvement in 12 Swedish municipalities of different sizes to identify factors that constitute barriers or incentives for more energy efficient road and street lighting. The municipalities have highly variable share of mercury lights remaining and differ considerably in how they have organized responsibilities, decision-making and how they work strategically with energy issues. The proportion of mercury lighting and annual electricity consumption per light was lower in the small municipalities compared to the medium-sized and large municipalities. In addition, of all the municipalities studied, the four smallest have been quickest to replace mercury lighting. The municipalities with the highest proportion of mercury lighting had not coordinated the planning of road and street lighting with any other strategic issues such as energy, environment or safety aspects. These municipalities had a purely technical and functional approach to road and street lighting and reinvested in light installations only when the old fixtures wear out. Thus, the mandatory municipal energy plan seemed to have only a very limited effect on reinvestment decisions for the road and street lighting. Our study indicates that there is a barrier against renewal when the responsibility for planning and renewal of the road and street lighting is outsourced. This situation was typically the case for some of the municipalities with large proportions of mercury lights still in use. Local lighting managers did not experience lack of knowledge or lack of financial resources as barriers against renewal. For example, four out of five municipalities that wholly or to a great extent had replaced their mercury lights stated that energy savings was the primary reason for the renewal. (Author/publisher)