AMSTERDAM – Utrecht city council plans to operate its street lighting network by SMS, a council spokesman said on Thursday. The system will be more flexible and economical than the current one.

In most of the Netherlands the energy company switches on street lighting at a fixed time, but since privatization of the energy sector, companies have been charging more for the service.

The new system uses a single light sensor to detect low light levels and send an SMS to the network operator, which can send out signals to various switches in the city to turn lighting on or off.

So far 50 or the city’s 500 switches operate via SMS, controlling 1500 street lights. City-wide implementation will save around EUR 50,000 per year in energy and service costs.

The system can also send an SMS as soon as any light becomes faulty, as opposed to relying on a phone call from the public.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2005]

Subject: Dutch news