School LED lighting upgrade to free £1,000s a year for pupil-focused activities

School lighting bill to be cut by 57% and carbon footprint more than halved with LED retrofit

Report by Holden Cook and Ashley Watson

SaveMoneyCutCarbon has completed a full LED lighting retrofit at Blessed Hugh Faringdon secondary Catholic School in Reading.

The school was introduced to SaveMoneyCutCarbon through the Portsmouth Diocese,which had met the energy efficiency specialists at an educational event and readily agreed to become the first Diocese school to undergo an LED lighting upgrade.

The head teacher and staff are all delighted by the improvement in the quality of lighting, while the school will save £1,000’s every years through reduced energy costs, freeing up precious funds for educational activities.

We helped the school achieve its lighting aims, replacing old and energy guzzling fittings. Equally important, we managed the process of applying for interest-free funding from Salix Finance.

• The LED retrofit will reduce lighting bills by more than 57%
• Carbon footprint will be cut by similar amount – 57%
• Full Salix financing at zero interest means the project should be self-financing over seven years.
• Funds freed up for investment in educational activities

Quality LED lighting is highly reliable, requires little or no maintenance in comparison to existing lighting solutions and provides the user with between 40,000 to 50,000 hours of continuous usage.

Incandescent light bulbs typically last around 1,000 hours and fluorescents are good for roughly 5,000 hours before light degradation occurs. LEDs are also low or no maintenance which is an additional benefit to the school as the lights will not require changing as often and all of the lighting was fully supported with a no quibble 5 Year manufacturers’ Warranty.

The SaveMoneyCutCarbon Field Services team replaced more than 1,200 panels, tubes, 2D fittings, downlights and lamps across the whole school, including corridors, classrooms and the canteen. The library area was a focus and the librarian was particularly delighted with the much improved quality of light.

One main challenge overcome was the need to complete the works during the school Easter holiday period, which gave a narrow opening to carry out the retrofit and increased pressure on the installation team.

Ann McDonnell, the school Business Manager says: “The quality and consistency of light has been greatly improved and staff have commented on how much better it is. In the corridors and the classrooms the light quality is wonderful. The whole school has been lifted by this. The site controller and team will also benefit through spending much less on lighting maintenance.

“We’re very pleased with the installation and particularly the way SaveMoneyCutCarbon managed the process, dealing promptly with the challenges you would expect from a large retrofit such as this.”

Mark Sait, CEO of SaveMoneyCutCarbon says: “Financial pressures will continue to be a pressing challenge for the foreseeable future and every education institution has to deliver the best learning facilities on a limited budget.

“As the LED retrofit at Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School clearly demonstrates, a comprehensive, astute assessment of energy use and an effectively managed installation will free funds for the whole school’s benefit.”

Read the full case study here