The East London primary school has undergone an entire LED lighting upgrade with Energys Group products, in a project that is expected to achieve return of investment (ROI) in just four years.

Given their often stringent financial and operating circumstances, it is to be expected that schools and colleges of higher education have been among the most enthusiastic adopters of energy-efficient lighting technology. Located in Tower Hamlets in the east of London, Harry Gosling Primary School is a case-in-point, having recently instigated an LED upgrade centred around solutions from Energys.

Constructed more than 100 years ago, the school buildings have been the subject of a number of improvements during recent times intended to enhance their efficiency. Most recently of all, School Premises Manager James Doherty took steps to replace legacy fluorescent lighting that was aesthetically displeasing and inconsistent in terms of light distribution. There was also a clear mandate to reduce expenditure on lighting-related energy and maintenance.

Salix funding

A previous positive experience of Energys during a project that saw the energy efficiency specialist provide boiler optimisation for two units (and achieve a 26% saving!) meant that the company was regarded as a natural choice when the subject of a lighting upgrade came up for discussion. In addition to advising on and supplying appropriate LED lighting solutions, Energys was able to support the school through the process of applying for funding from Salix Finance, which delivers 100% interest-free capital to the public sector to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Doherty observes that “because of the Salix funding the school is essentially not incurring any additional costs for the project since repayments can be made from the energy savings”. Clearly, that is another significant reason for the project to have won the support of the school’s management and finance departments.

Radical upgrade

So extensive is the upgrade – which covers all existing lights – that Doherty believes it may make Harry Gosling Primary one of very few schools in the country to have undertaken a complete LED upgrade. Encompassing classrooms, corridors, offices, staircases, ICT rooms, the main hall, offices and common areas, the indoor-only project saw Energys provide a wealth of solutions from its extensive range. LED panels, downlighters, wall-lights, 2D LED lamps, tubes, LED emergency bulkheads and PIR sensors were among the items specified by the Energys team.

Doherty is full of praise for the installers, who he describes as being “very efficient and highly considerate. They undertook the work during the holidays and it really felt like they had become part of our staff – the whole process was so seamless. The fit-out took six weeks, meaning that everything was done and dusted in time for the new term to begin.”

In terms of the end-result, there is no doubt that a dramatic improvement in terms of the overall lighting quality has been achieved. “Light is now a lovely daylight colour and is uniformly diffused, while there are no issues with glare; Energys products having been designed with a very specific focus on reducing glare. There has also been an enhancement of the school’s aesthetics since the new fittings are much more attractive than the old fluorescents.”

Prior to the upgrade lights were failing on a frequent basis, but the long lifecycle of Energys products is expected to lead to a substantial reduction in time and money spent on maintenance. Meanwhile, the Energys products’ five-year guarantee means that if there are any failures the company will come and replace them anyway.

The school’s Display Energy Certificate rating may also improve as the result of a project that cost £29.5K and is estimated to achieve annual savings in the region of £7K. Return on investment is predicted to be as little as four years – a remarkable result given the all-encompassing nature of the upgrade.

Spread the word

The easier disposal process associated with LEDs is another benefit earmarked by Doherty, who says that he is “thrilled by the results of the upgrade. It pains me that there are so many other schools around the country putting up with bad lighting that is wasting energy and also impacting negatively on the learning experience. Evidence about the positive benefits of LEDs for education is increasing all the time. In the future, I would love to show other schools around to help showcase the advantages of the latest LED lighting.”

Raj Gunasekaran, Business Development Manager for Energys, comments: “We are delighted that Harry Gosling Primary School is experiencing such a dramatic improvement in its lighting quality as a result of this upgrade, and believe that the project will be a valuable one in spreading the word to other schools and colleges of higher education about why now is the time to move across to LED.”

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