Wigan Council
Eradicate pockets of darkness
Wigan Council cuts energy bills and improves light levels at one of its busiest car parks.
The Challenge:
To provide Wigan Council with a LED luminaire that would significantly reduce energy bills and Co2 emissions but at the same time dramatically improve light levels in the car park.
Light uniformity was also crucial to eradicate pockets of darkness which would in turn improve the customers’ feeling of safety when using the car park.
Our Solution:
Waveguide provided a powerful solution to replace the existing 230 (70 watt) sodium fittings (84 watt with ballast) with their award-winning energy efficient LB30 fitting, which is just 45 watts inclusive of ballast.
These fittings are designed and constructed to operate for 60,000 hours maintenance free (seven years at 24 hours a day) and will save the council £1,065 per annum in annual maintenance costs.
The new light fittings now installed at Water Street Multi Storey Car Park use 45% less energy than the pre-existing system. With the use of light sensor controls they will save the council more than 50% on their energy bills. At current operational times they will also save 35 tonnes of Co2 per annum. At the same time, the light levels and light uniformity within the multi-storey car park have been improved which will enhance customer experience and security at the site. CCTV footage is also clearer.
“Illuminating Water Street Car Park in a cost effective, energy efficient way has been particularly difficult given the way it is constructed and its original lighting layout. Initially we set ourselves a target to reduce the car parks energy use by 50% while improving overall lighting levels. The good news is that since project works completion we are achieving our energy reduction target with savings on-going. We are also delighted with the improved light levels and uniformity within the car park.”
Wigan Council’s Energy Officer Barry Foster
“Car parks pose a particular challenge as, unlike in other buildings where the emphasis is to switch off lights, the design of a multi storey car park means that artificial lighting is required throughout opening hours. Improving the efficiency of lighting such as this by up to 50% is therefore a brilliant result. This project is particularly impressive as it delivers a dual efficiency impact, by saving on both electricity running costs as well as annual maintenance costs.”