Better and cheaper lighting in Bratislava

The operation, maintenance and comprehensive modernisation and reconstruction of public lighting in Bratislava is being provided by the city enterprise Technické siete Bratislava, a.s.

Public lighting in Bratislava consists of roughly 49,000 lighting points. The last reconstruction ran from 1997–2003; thus, the lighting technology being used was outdated after more than 20 years of operation. It was significantly prone to failure and was also energy-intensive (the consumption of Bratislava’s public lighting before the start of the deployment of new LED technology was approximately 20,000 MWh of electricity per year).

The capital city therefore began to gradually replace streetlamps with new LED lamps, which bring a significant reduction in failure rates (from more than 25% per year to less than 2.5% per year), as well as a fundamental reduction in electricity costs by more than 40%. The new luminaires are equipped with a programmed dimming curve, which means that during the deep night, when traffic is usually lower, the lamps are gradually dimmed to 70% and then to 40% of the output. The new lights that are being installed also have limited radiation, shining exclusively in the areas being illuminated; they thus minimise unwanted radiation into windows and unnecessary lighting into the sky.

The largest replacement of public lighting with new LED technology is taking place this year in the city districts of Karlova Ves, Petržalka, Rača, Dúbravka and Lamač. Karlova Ves alone has more than 3,000 lighting points, and more than 1,000 lamps have already been replaced. The main phase began running in September 2025, during which approximately 2,000 lamps are being replaced in the city district. After its completion, which is expected by the end of this year, the entire city district will be illuminated with new LED luminaires.

Petržalka has more than 9,000 lighting points, and more than 4,000 lamps have already been replaced. A more extensive modernisation, during which approximately 5,000 lamps will be replaced, has also been taking place in this city district since September, and by the end of it the entire city district will be lit with LED luminaires. In Rača, which is also currently undergoing modernisation, more than 1,200 of its 2,000 lamps have thus far been replaced, and in Dúbravka, more than 1,600 of its 2,600 lamps have been replaced with new LED luminaires. In addition, we are planning to replace the remaining lamps in these city districts by the end of the year, which means that they will be completely covered with new LED luminaires.

Savings:

The average savings per one replaced lamp represent approximately 30 euros per year in electricity consumption at current prices. Thus far, 28,000 streetlamps have been replaced. A massive replacement of public lighting also took place last year, during which we replaced more than 13,000 lamps, mainly in the peripheral city districts – Jarovce, Rusovce, Čunovo, Vajnory, Devín, Devínska Nová Ves, Záhorská Bystrica, but also in Ružinov, Podunajské Biskupice and Vrakuňa. The replacement continues this year, too, with another 7,500 lamps replaced by LED luminaires by the end of the year. Thus, a total of more than 35,000 lamps will be replaced in Bratislava by the end of 2025, which, at current energy prices, means an annual savings of more than 1 million euros per year on electricity payments alone.

Technické siete Bratislava will, of course, continue replacing lamps next year, too, so that they gradually replace the lights in all the city districts. The objective of Technické siete Bratislava is to subsequently use the savings associated with the deployment of LED technology for the reconstruction of supporting elements – masts and underground power lines – which are often at the limit of their service life.

In terms of electricity consumption for public lighting, in 2018 this was approximately 20,000 MWh per year, and in 2024 it was approximately 15,800 MWh. In 2025 we anticipate consumption to total some 14,000 MWh, and after completion of the modernisation of lighting with LED luminaires, we expect consumption to fall to a level of 11,000 MW, which represents a saving of more than 45% just by deploying LED technology. Additional savings of up to 60% can be achieved with the use of an intelligent control system.