Transport for London (TfL) will cut its energy consumption by 40 per cent.

This is part of a new scheme, announced by TfL and London mayor Boris Johnson, which will see efficient lighting installed, saving around £1.85 million each year as early as 2016.

It will also slash around 9,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, providing part of Mr Johnson's goal of slashing 60 per cent of pollutants by 2025.

The mayor said: "With tens of thousands of lights marking the way on our road network it makes complete sense to focus energy and resources on bringing them up to 21st century standards."

TfL's energy efficiency programme consists of two key sections. The first is the introduction of a central management system for street lights, which allows the body to monitor and control lighting from a remote location.

This will allow it to dynamically alter light levels to reflect the use of each streetlamp, reducing the energy lost needlessly.

Secondly, bulbs are going to be replaced with light emitting diodes across all of TfL's 52,000 street lamps over the next decade.