With an objective to cut carbon emissions at 1 and 2 Minster Court, M&G Real Estate asked Minimise Energy to carry out an energy audit.
Data revealed that LED lighting would improve the building's carbon footprint and reduce energy costs. Minimise completed the lighting upgrade, reducing the annual lighting bill by £53,485 and energy consumption by 62%.
Carbon emissions have been cut by 1,559 tCO2 over five years.
M&G Real Estate manages £20.4bn of high profile property assets on behalf of its investors. A member of The Better Buildings Partnership, a collaboration of the UK's leading commercial property owners working together to improve the sustainability of commercial building stock, M&G operates a programme of continuous sustainability improvements across its buildings portfolio.
This ensures that the buildings are compliant with current and future legislation such as the government's Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme and Energy Performance Certificate regulations. It also helps to meet the exacting standards of high profile corporate tenants in terms of operational and cost performance, outstanding aesthetic appeal and working conditions, and environmental efficiency.
Numbers 1 and 2 Minster Court provides 18,500m2 of multi-let Grade A offices. M&G had already put in place an energy efficiency programme comprising a series of small technology and behaviour changes made between 2008 and 2013 and was keen to improve upon this by upgrading lighting in common spaces to energy efficient LEDs.
This would maintain lux levels and improve the quality of light, giving the spaces a refreshed look and feel. It would also cut carbon emissions.
Furthermore, the significant cost reductions would also allow M&G to cut tenant service charges.
M&G asked Minimise Energy to analyse the energy efficiencies that could be achieved by replacing the existing fluorescent and CFL lamps and fittings in the lift lobbies, car parks, corridors, washrooms, plant rooms, colonnade and stairwells of the two adjacent buildings. Minimise also reviewed the buildings' security lighting and provided evidence of the further savings that could be achieved through the addition of lighting controls.
In line with Minimise's policy, fittings were only recommended for upgrade where appropriate and WEEE Directive compliant recycling was incorporated as an essential component of the programme.
With continuous lighting operating hours in the car parks, staircases and basement corridors, and all other areas being lit 12 hours a day, five days a week, the initial analysis showed that M&G could achieve a significant lighting energy reduction. When combined with maintenance savings, this would deliver a return on investment in 21 months, well inside the M&G requirements.
Minimise Energy was appointed to manufacture, supply and install all replacement lamps and light fittings and associated lighting controls. It was also responsible for the supply, installation, management and data analysis of a wireless energy monitoring system, in order to measure and verify the project's performance.
The project took seven weeks to complete, with Minimise engineers working out of hours when needed to ensure tenants were not affected by the work.
Throughout, circular CFL downlights were replaced with RG240 downlights. In addition, T8 lamps, 2D LED lamps, LED RG 180s, LED panels and LED high bays were used.
Minimise fitted microwave presence detectors to all car parking bay luminaires and alternate roadway luminaires. In addition, PIR presence detectors were installed in basement corridor areas.
To monitor and validate the proposed energy savings, prior to the commencement of works Minimise installed the wireless Minimise Energy Monitoring System across a series of circuits within both buildings. This allowed each different type of light fitting to be monitored. It also monitored energy use in different building areas.
Combined, these provided M&G with a granular lighting energy consumption profile; a benchmark from which the improvements could be validated on completion.
Commenting on the system installed at Minster Court, Sam Stageman, Sales Director at Minimise Energy, said:
"Minster Court clearly demonstrates the difference that LEDs can make in a commercial environment. The savings and the refreshed light quality say it all.
"The meters were used to capture evidence of reduced energy consumption two weeks after the completion of the upgrade. The data shows that the upgrade has achieved a 62% lighting energy consumption reduction and an annual cost saving of £53,485. Lux levels have been maintained or improved and the quality of light is significantly better.
"The LED scheme will save almost £270,000 in lighting energy costs over five years, reducing consumption by 2,971,420 kWh over that period. In addition, it gives a 1,559 tCO2 saving over 5 years. We're very pleased with the results achieved."
