LIGHTING
“EXCUSE ME SIR, ARE YOUR LIGHTS STILL WORKING?” Jason Ng, Honeywell
W 28
e all know that dreaded feeling when the electricity bill lands on the doormat. You open it up slowly with trepidation
and prepare yourself for the sharp jolt of terror as the big bold number in the middle of the first page confirms your worst suspicions; it’s going to be another few months of quiet nights in and counting the pennies.
In the midst of these cold British nights and a tough economy, it’s hard to imagine receiving a confused phone call from your energy provider, asking if you’d spent the last three months living in darkness because your energy bill was so unbelievably low. Hard to believe, maybe. But that’s exactly what happened to Councillor John Caswell, Deputy Leader Northampton Borough Council and Cabinet Member for the Environment back in late 2012.
In early 2012, St Michael’s Car Park in the centre of Northampton replaced its
existing fluorescent lights with a set of LED luminaires from Honeywell, providing the facility with roughly the same light output but consuming significantly less energy. In fact, the installation cut the car park’s energy consumption by as much as 75 per cent, corresponding to an annual saving of nearly £18,000
John was in his office when a colleague took the call from the Northampton Council’s panicked energy provider. He recalls: “They were concerned that several lights in the car park must have stopped working as there’d been such a dramatic drop in energy usage.” His colleague reassured the provider that the lights were in full working order, before promptly hanging up.
Nothing quite brings to life the power of LED lighting like John’s story. Statistics published by the Department of Energy and ClimateChange (UK, July 2011) show that, across a broad selection of non-domestic applications, lighting
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3
represents, on average, 21% of a building’s total energy consumption. It is an area that, with small improvements, can deliver decreased energy bills at the same time as reducing emissions and boosting energy efficiency. In an age of austerity, with
tightening budgets and pressure on public sector funds, it demonstrates that taking positive steps to replace old inefficient lighting in public places like car parks, leisure centres and green spaces with LED lighting really does pay. It can release much-needed funds that can be used for projects that really make a difference in the local community.
Next time the utility bill lands on your desk, ask yourself: Wouldn’t you like to be on the receiving end of a phone call like John’s? For more information on LED lighting solutions visit:
http://led.honeywell.com/en-GB/
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