The projects are the first to start from the council’s new Carbon Management Plan (2016-21) and are expected to significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions from the car parks.
The new LED lights, which will be installed at the Grand Arcade main car park and Grafton East car parks over the next few months, will be controlled by motion and light sensors that will reduce the electricity consumption and carbon emissions from the lighting even further.
The two projects follow the successful previous installation of LED lighting at the Grand Arcade annex car park and Grafton West car park and a number of other council-owned buildings, including the Corn Exchange, the Crematorium, and several sheltered housing schemes.
Cllr Richard Robertson, Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, said: “We are committed to reducing carbon emissions from our buildings and vehicles and we are making significant investments in low carbon technologies to achieve this.
“The installation of low energy lighting will considerably reduce the electricity consumption at these car parks and will go a long way to helping us to reach our target of reducing carbon emissions by 15% by 2021.”
The lighting will cost approximately £320,000 and is expected to reduce energy consumption by approximately 520,000 kWh at the car parks, and save approximately 280 tonnes of carbon every year.
The project is being delivered through an energy performance contract which means that the estimated annual savings for the project, which are expected to be in excess of £46,000, are guaranteed to be achieved by the delivery partner Bouygues Energies & Services.
Cllr Robertson added: “We are committed to continued investment in the car parks we run and these works will also reduce energy use. All businesses in Cambridge are encouraged to follow this example and help reduce the carbon footprint of the city.”
Notes
- LED (light-emitting diodes) lighting solutions are long lasting, reliable and energy efficient as they emit more light per unit of electricity than incandescent light bulbs.
- The council’s new Carbon Management Plan (2016-21) includes a number of projects which will be delivered to reduce carbon emissions from council buildings and services by 15% by 2021.
- Bouygues Energies & Services were procured through an existing Cambridgeshire County Council framework contract available to the city council called RE:FIT, where they were selected as the energy services company (ESCo) delivery partner and are delivering the project through an energy performance contract.
- Energy performance contracting is a means of keeping the risk of the performance of measures with the energy services company (ESCo) through a commercial arrangement. This means that the ESCo is financially accountable for the performance of the project. Should an energy conservation measure fail to deliver the expected savings, the client may seek remuneration for their loss in savings.
_______________________________________________