A Nottinghamshire local authority, which won the 2011 Low Carbon Council of the Year* award, is the latest to upgrade to ‘intelligent’ energy-saving lighting from Chalmor for two of its largest town centre car parks.
Mansfield District Council is making savings of £22,569 and 132.88 tonnes of CO² per year by using Chalmor’s low energy lighting with motion and photo controls. This has been installed in the Four Seasons shopping centre car park and the Walkden Street car park, which jointly offer 936 parking spaces.
Mansfield’s Climate Change Officer, Helen Bartle and colleagues saw Chalmor’s latest low energy lighting demonstrated at the ESTA (Energy Services and Technology Association) exhibition in Manchester last year.
Chalmor’s ‘smart’ lighting and controls are operated by time controls, outside light levels and occupancy sensors or any permutation of the three. The company’s ReFit T5 system, installed at both these Mansfield town centre car parks, replaces older fluorescent fittings by the latest new generation T5 fluorescent technology offering substantial cost savings and dramatically reducing energy consumption. This system in conjunction with the Autolux Universal Lighting Controller, ensures a rapid return on investment as well as reduced maintenance costs.
The T5 fluorescent lamp technology consumes less energy and depreciates little over its lifetime – 6% compared to 30% over the former lighting. Each of the car parks uses one of Chalmor’s Autolux six-channel controllers and two weatherproof light level sensors to maximise energy-savings by making use of daylight and time sensors. Autolux is also temperature-sensitive and this is used to switch perimeter lights back on again when the temperature reaches zero. Autolux also controls the roof and perimiter lighting that were not replaced to keep these lights off during the night when the car parks are closed.
Payback
A payback time of 1.4 years was calculated by Chalmor for the upgrade that cost £31,250 for the two main car park areas. Savings to Mansfield District Council are predicted to be £22,569 per year as well as saving 132.88 tonnes of CO2. In the stairwell and ramp areas of the two car parks Chalmor’s Refit T5 kit installation cost £5,000 with additional savings predicted of £6,009 each year as well as 35.36 tonnes of CO2 and a payback of less than one year.
Chalmor’s Sales and Marketing Department, commented, “By offering Mansfield District Council savings of nearly £30,000 a year with savings of 168 tonnes of CO2 emissions yearly, this project has at the same time delivered a safer environment offering increased light levels and both day and night time lighting control”.
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