Sainsbury’s is aiming to save 59% on lighting costs at its new Leek supermarket with the installation of an LED lighting system which it hopes will cut its electricity demand for lighting at the store by 317,900kWh per annum.
The supermarket giant has installed the lights as part of a grand plan to reduce its “absolute operational” carbon emissions by 30% by 2020.
GE’s Lumination Linear Suspended lighting system, which have not been installed in a supermarket setting before, includes daylight sensors to optimise natural daylight, as well as uniform light which reduces glare on the floor.
“Finding a lighting solution that won’t compromise our customers’ shopping experience yet can help reduce our environmental impact and deliver reduced carbon and energy savings is key to us achieving our stretching carbon target,” said Paul Crewe, Sainsbury’s head of sustainability.
According to Sainsbury’s, the lights also offer a massive reduction in maintenance costs, due to the longer life of an LED system compared to a traditional system – and it is now considering rolling the technology out in some of its other UK stores.
“We originally trialled the world-first installation of the new LED system in one of our local convenience stores in Scotland late last year and the initial findings were so positive that we decided to install it in our new Leek supermarket,” Crewe said. “We will be monitoring its performance closely over the coming months as a potential technology for carbon reduction in our stores.”
The lighting modules will be directly upgradeable as the LED technology develops, negating the need for new fixtures in future, the company added.
In addition, an LED “Area Lighter”, is being used in the car park and petrol station, which Sainsbury’s and GE claim will save the company 55% on its lighting costs compared with the HPS lamps traditionally used in car parks.
As part of its plans to reduce its carbon footprint, Sainsbury’s has also installed a number of carbon-reduction measures at the Leek store, including a biomass boiler to heat and store hot water as well as natural refrigeration for fridges and freezers, which it says will reduce carbon emissions by 33%.