South Essex Homes expects to reduce lighting bills by up to 75% by brightening up an 8-floor social housing block in Southend-on-Sea with LED communal and emergency lighting supplied by Commulite.
Barringtons, in Sutton Road, Southend, was built in the 1990’s and offers high quality social accommodation. The lighting system, however, based on 28W fluorescent fittings, was becoming increasingly expensive to operate and maintain, requiring regular replacements of lights, ballasts and ongoing repairs to the central emergency lighting battery system.
It was also costly to run, with all lights operating at full power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, despite some areas benefitting from good levels of natural light. For this reason South Essex Homes was keen to explore the potential energy savings of LED lighting.
While a number of suppliers were considered, Commulite was chosen for two key reasons, firstly the fact that the system is 100% maintenance free, and secondly it has the flexibility to adjust lighting levels according to location and time of day.
The contract included supply of over 320 new light fittings, set to run at between 4 and 14W depending on light requirement, location and time of day. Furthermore, motion detectors allowed corridor lights to reduce power when vacant, and stairwell lights are controlled by an automated solar clock feature that adjusts light up times according to the time of year.
Southend based contractor, Blakes Electrical, undertook the installation, which included a new ceiling throughout the communal areas of the building. Commulite provided the Blakes team with training, support and weekly site visits throughout the project.
“The net result is improved lighting levels throughout the building, and residents are happier as energy is no longer being visibly wasted powering lights that don’t need to be on,” comments James Baldwin, Sales Manager at Commulite.
And as for the energy savings? “At worst, lighting energy costs will be halved,” says James, “but realistically, South Essex Homes can expect to see more savings thanks to our intelligent control system, not to mention the maintenance savings with the system that has a FIVE year insurance-backed warranty.”