Sensor controlled lights cut energy use by 87%
An 87% reduction in electricity consumption for halls of residence of King’s College London has been achieved following the installation of sensor-controlled lighting from Steinel (UK) in corridors. To reduce emissions and meet CRC obligations, energy and environment manager Keith McIntyre looked carefully at areas of ongoing energy waste and identified that corridor lights in halls of resident were habitually left on.
Following the earlier success of Steinel sensor lights in another residential block, he got the go-ahead to install them in more halls of residence — bringing the total number to over 1100. Funding for the project was helped by the college’s participation in the ‘Invest to save’ scheme through Salix, an independent publicly funded company set up to accelerate public-sector investment in energy-efficient technologies.
‘We selected the HF 3360 sensors based on their sleek, discreet appearance, which came with a high specification at a cost-effective price point,’ says Mr McIntyre. ‘Although our top priorities were reducing energy use and carbon emissions, we were also keen to lower our maintenance burden. Steinel sensor technology means we are able to budget for much lower replacement-part costs.’
The College has also achieved major energy savings. Prior to the installation of Steinel technology, the annual lighting energy consumption within the halls of residence was over 72 MWh. Following the project, the energy consumption was slashed to a little over 9 MWh a year — an 87% reduction.
The project has an expected payback period of just five years,