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Launch RDP - information pack presented.

Welcome to our Public Lighting Forum page. This page is for customers and other stakeholders interested in keeping updated on the engagement activities for our public lighting strategies and proposed investment plans for the 2025 to 2030 period. Our public lighting engagement activities have been part of our Regulatory Determination Project 2025, which you can read more about here.

About us

Across Queensland, Ergon Energy Network and Energex own, operate, and maintain over 504,598 public lights and keep billing records for another 66,251 lights owned and maintained by our customers. We provide public lighting services to 70 Local Councils in the Ergon Energy network area, 13 Councils in Energex's, as well as state-wide to the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR).

As Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSP) we are natural monopolies and, as such, are subject to economic regulation by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) under Chapter 6 of the National Electricity Rules. Under the current regulatory framework, every five years we submit Regulatory Proposals and Tariff Structure Statements to the AER, setting out, among other things, our proposed investment plans, revenue allowances and tariff structures for the coming five-year regulatory control period.

Stakeholder expectations for the future of public lighting help shape our Regulatory Proposals and provide sustainable, flexible lighting solutions, smart technologies, and tariff options that meet community needs and comply with safety standards. It offers a platform for Councils, the Local Government Association of Queensland, and DTMR stakeholders to give feedback to Ergon Energy Network and Energex on public lighting services into the future.

On 31 January 2024, Ergon Energy Network and Energex submitted our Regulatory Proposals and Tariff Structure Statements to the AER for the 2025-30 regulatory control period. You can read our Regulatory Proposals here.

Below is a high-level summary of what we have proposed for public lighting in our Ergon Energy Network and Energex Regulatory Proposals to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER):

  • With customer support, we are proposing to convert all existing conventional public lights to LED by 30 June 2030.

  • From 1 July 2025, we are proposing to fund the capital costs of the conversion of the legacy customer-funded conventional lights to LED, with the capital charge recovered from a new tariff (Rate 2A).

  • With customer support, we are proposing to offer smart control devices on a ‘user-pays’ basis, with customers funding the capital cost of the assets and gifting the assets to us to operate and maintain. A new smart control tariff (Rate 2B) will be introduced from 1 July 2026.

  • Due to the low uptake of the Rate 4 tariff option during the 2020-25 regulatory control period, we are proposing to retire the Rate 4 tariff from 1 July 2025, with the existing Rate 4 assets reassigned to a Rate 2 LED tariff.

  • We are proposing to cease offering security lighting as a new installation from 1 July 2025. However, we will continue to maintain and operate legacy security lights.

Current engagement activity

October 2024

Sessions were held to discuss the AER Draft Decisions for Public Lighting

  • View Energex pack here
  • View Ergon Energy Network here.


Previous engagement activity

March 2024

This session is to unpack and review the AEMC’s Draft Determination on the use of smart cells with metering capabilities. Whilst not directly related to our public lighting engagement, there are some elements that may have implications.

View the pack here

February 2024

We provided our Councils, Local Government Association of Queensland, and DTMR stakeholders with an opportunity to hear directly from us about our public lighting smart lighting proposal, and our next steps in the 2025 – 30 Regulatory Proposal Process, including where to find all the documentation submitted to the AER as part of our submissions through online webinars. Click on the presentations below to view.


For a summary of the Public Lighting engagement activity, see the timeline to the right of this page, or read a detailed summary here.


What's next

The AER will assess our Regulatory Proposals and consult with interested parties before setting the efficient revenues and prices that we can recover from our customers for their use of our electricity distribution networks, over the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030.

We encourage our customers and stakeholders to make submissions to the AER as part of its consultation on our Regulatory Proposals.

  • The AER published their Draft Determinations on 23 September 2024 for Ergon Energy Network and Energex, with a further opportunity for customers and stakeholders to comment. For more information check out our Regulatory Determination Project 2025. Specific information relating to Public Lighting information can be found in Attachment 16 on the AER website. The financial details can be found in ‘Models’ sections on AER websites.

Following the submission of our Regulatory Proposals to the AER in January 2024, we have completed Phases 1-4 of our Regulatory Proposal engagement plan. Our Phases 1-4 engagement activities have been summarised in our Ergon Energy Network Engagement Summary Report and our Energex Engagement Summary Report.

Phase 5 ‘Finalise’ of our engagement plan has now commenced as we prepare to respond to feedback on our Regulatory Proposals, ahead of submitting revised Regulatory Proposals in December 2024.

Welcome to our Public Lighting Forum page. This page is for customers and other stakeholders interested in keeping updated on the engagement activities for our public lighting strategies and proposed investment plans for the 2025 to 2030 period. Our public lighting engagement activities have been part of our Regulatory Determination Project 2025, which you can read more about here.

About us

Across Queensland, Ergon Energy Network and Energex own, operate, and maintain over 504,598 public lights and keep billing records for another 66,251 lights owned and maintained by our customers. We provide public lighting services to 70 Local Councils in the Ergon Energy network area, 13 Councils in Energex's, as well as state-wide to the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR).

As Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSP) we are natural monopolies and, as such, are subject to economic regulation by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) under Chapter 6 of the National Electricity Rules. Under the current regulatory framework, every five years we submit Regulatory Proposals and Tariff Structure Statements to the AER, setting out, among other things, our proposed investment plans, revenue allowances and tariff structures for the coming five-year regulatory control period.

Stakeholder expectations for the future of public lighting help shape our Regulatory Proposals and provide sustainable, flexible lighting solutions, smart technologies, and tariff options that meet community needs and comply with safety standards. It offers a platform for Councils, the Local Government Association of Queensland, and DTMR stakeholders to give feedback to Ergon Energy Network and Energex on public lighting services into the future.

On 31 January 2024, Ergon Energy Network and Energex submitted our Regulatory Proposals and Tariff Structure Statements to the AER for the 2025-30 regulatory control period. You can read our Regulatory Proposals here.

Below is a high-level summary of what we have proposed for public lighting in our Ergon Energy Network and Energex Regulatory Proposals to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER):

  • With customer support, we are proposing to convert all existing conventional public lights to LED by 30 June 2030.

  • From 1 July 2025, we are proposing to fund the capital costs of the conversion of the legacy customer-funded conventional lights to LED, with the capital charge recovered from a new tariff (Rate 2A).

  • With customer support, we are proposing to offer smart control devices on a ‘user-pays’ basis, with customers funding the capital cost of the assets and gifting the assets to us to operate and maintain. A new smart control tariff (Rate 2B) will be introduced from 1 July 2026.

  • Due to the low uptake of the Rate 4 tariff option during the 2020-25 regulatory control period, we are proposing to retire the Rate 4 tariff from 1 July 2025, with the existing Rate 4 assets reassigned to a Rate 2 LED tariff.

  • We are proposing to cease offering security lighting as a new installation from 1 July 2025. However, we will continue to maintain and operate legacy security lights.

Current engagement activity

October 2024

Sessions were held to discuss the AER Draft Decisions for Public Lighting

  • View Energex pack here
  • View Ergon Energy Network here.


Previous engagement activity

March 2024

This session is to unpack and review the AEMC’s Draft Determination on the use of smart cells with metering capabilities. Whilst not directly related to our public lighting engagement, there are some elements that may have implications.

View the pack here

February 2024

We provided our Councils, Local Government Association of Queensland, and DTMR stakeholders with an opportunity to hear directly from us about our public lighting smart lighting proposal, and our next steps in the 2025 – 30 Regulatory Proposal Process, including where to find all the documentation submitted to the AER as part of our submissions through online webinars. Click on the presentations below to view.


For a summary of the Public Lighting engagement activity, see the timeline to the right of this page, or read a detailed summary here.


What's next

The AER will assess our Regulatory Proposals and consult with interested parties before setting the efficient revenues and prices that we can recover from our customers for their use of our electricity distribution networks, over the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030.

We encourage our customers and stakeholders to make submissions to the AER as part of its consultation on our Regulatory Proposals.

  • The AER published their Draft Determinations on 23 September 2024 for Ergon Energy Network and Energex, with a further opportunity for customers and stakeholders to comment. For more information check out our Regulatory Determination Project 2025. Specific information relating to Public Lighting information can be found in Attachment 16 on the AER website. The financial details can be found in ‘Models’ sections on AER websites.

Following the submission of our Regulatory Proposals to the AER in January 2024, we have completed Phases 1-4 of our Regulatory Proposal engagement plan. Our Phases 1-4 engagement activities have been summarised in our Ergon Energy Network Engagement Summary Report and our Energex Engagement Summary Report.

Phase 5 ‘Finalise’ of our engagement plan has now commenced as we prepare to respond to feedback on our Regulatory Proposals, ahead of submitting revised Regulatory Proposals in December 2024.

Put a question to the Public Lighting Forum

If you have a question, or a concern or opportunity you would like raised at our next forum, please let us know. 

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Page last updated: 16 Oct 2024, 03:36 PM