Energy Usage at an all time low

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Since March 23rd the UK has been following lockdown measures announced by the government to combat Coronavirus. Workplaces, factories, shops and restaurants all shut their doors and switched out their lights for the last time until the nation is healthy enough to open back up again.

Because so many public/workspaces have now gone dark, unsurprisingly energy consumption is at an all time low. Industrial and Commercial makes up for a whopping 45% of energy consumption in the UK, and between the 24th March and the 3rd April energy demand dropped 20%.

12pm is the new 7.30am.

The fall in electricity usage suppliers are attributing to the loss of demand from sources like workplaces and factories. Now that the UK is on lockdown there’s been a huge increase of people at home during the day, energy company Bulb have reported that electricity usage is up during the week between 9am and 5pm because we’re all home with screens lit up and lightbulbs glowing.

Normally during the week there is a peak of electricity usage in the mornings, but Bulb are reporting a 21% decrease at 7.30am (their usual peak) as people are no longer having to commute and are taking the time to hit snooze and get back under the duvet.

The electricity households are saving during the groggy mornings however, is being used up later in the day as Bulb and other energy companies have noticed a minimum of a 27% increase during midday.

This data is also coinciding with the beginning of a warm and sunny spring. If it were winter those drops may be slightly smaller as we would be heating up our homes and keeping the lights on for longer periods to combat the dull and dreary outdoors. However, our public spaces being in the dark it’s good to see that being indoors all day hasn’t increased demand.

Don’t Stay in the Dark.

Since Boris Johnson announced that the UK would be going on lockdown we’ve seen a 5-10% drop in electrical demand and suppliers anticipated a further drop by the end of April which would take the UK’s electricity consumption to its lowest since the 1960’s, which was before daily usage data was available to us.

Power plants are currently working with balancing out their supply and demand, with demand for larger consumers being down some plants are finding they have too much electricity supply which can cause individual plants to shut down, and potentially cause the whole grid to collapse – creating blackouts. That’s why energy provider Octopus Energy has introduced a new tariff that pays you to use electricity during quiet periods. However, the National Grid has ensured the public that they have the resilience to cope and keep lighting up your homes.

Add a Little Sparkle! and let all key workers know your thinking of them.

Some households are even turning to their Christmas lights to add some sparkly cheer to their days and show support for their NHS workers. From multicoloured flashing lights, or making glowing heart shapes in your window, communities are feeling a sense of support and solidarity and togetherness. Who knew lights could do so much.

Dont worry there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Everything you need to know about residential LED lighting

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With electricity costs soaring, it isn’t surprising that many tenants when looking for their next rental property are considering how expensive their energy bills will be. Rental properties also need to meet minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) or they are will not be allowed to go on the market. One of the most effective ways to appeal to potential tenants as well as meeting MEES is to install energy efficient LED lighting in your rental properties.

Appeal to new tenants

As well as appealing to potential tenants due to reduced energy costs, LED lighting can help make your residential property look more appealing as you are able to create different moods for each area of the property. If your property has lots of attractive key fixtures and fittings, installing LED downlights can help accentuate those, making it more appealing to potential tenants.

Reduce your carbon footprint

With climate change and carbon footprint at the forefront of many minds these days, switching to LED lighting can help reduce your rental property’s carbon dioxide emissions. This will also be another way of appealing to potential tenants.

LED lightbulbs are clean as well as energy efficient. Many of the materials used are recyclable and modern LED lightbulbs don’t contain the hazardous materials that can be found in other lighting sources.

Improve your property’s EPC rating

As each rental property needs to have an EPC rating of E or above in order to be put on the market, it is a good idea to investigate cost effective ways of making sure your property meets this criteria. As LED lighting uses 90% less energy than incandescent light bulbs, if you have any in your rental properties currently, replacing them with LED lighting can dramatically improve your EPC rating.

‘Bills all included’

Are your rental properties including all bills? If so, LED lighting could help you reduce your energy costs when it comes to your properties as they use considerably less energy, costing you less on your bills. Also, as LED lights need replaced less often than their incandescent counterparts, you won’t be spending your saved money on extra lightbulbs, saving you even more.

Looking to upgrade your rental properties to LED lighting? Get in touch and find out how we can help.

LED Warehouse Lighting: Why your warehouse should make the transition

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LED lighting for warehouse applications has been around for a few years now and admittedly is no longer the latest news but because of this technology has moved at a tremendous pace and luminaires are now competitively placed in the market making the transition of replacing your old lighting more affordable and making it possible to swiftly pay for the investment by the reduction of energy and maintenance costs.

For those who haven’t yet made that positive move in the right direction here’s some facts to help you understand the basics of LED Lighting and if you need any more info please get in touch

An LED light is a light-emitting diode, emitting visible light when an electrical current passes through it. LEDs are fast becoming a first choice for many lighting solutions, including street lights, car parks, walkways and other outdoor areas. They are also perfect for warehouse use.

There are many positives to LED lighting, and here are the reasons we highly recommend them.

Energy efficiency

High intensity discharge and fluorescent lighting both waste energy by turning it into heat. LED lighting turn approximately 70% of their energy into light, due to their high lumen output per watt. In comparison, incandescent lights turn approximately 80% of their energy to heat.

A 6-watt LED bulb can produce the same light as a 40-watt incandescent light bulb. The lower temperature you get with an LED bulb also reduces risk, making them safer to operate.

The average saving when changing from a 60-watt light bulb with an LED is approximately 60kg of CO2 emissions per year. By replacing just 10 lights in your warehouse with LED bulbs, you could reduce your CO2 emissions by 1599 annually – it’s a no brainer.

Longer life

Due to the reduction in wasted energy, it’s no surprise that LED warehouse lighting has a much longer life than its competitors.

The LED bulb’s low heat levels, durability and energy efficiency have a longer capacity by not hundreds, but thousands of hours.

With incandescent bulbs, the filament can weaken over time, meaning the lamp will eventually burn out due to damage. With LEDs, it is just the light that burns out gradually. This is sometimes not even noticed until the bulb has decreased to 30%, but some warehouses will notice this sooner if decreased illumination isn’t supported by daylight, for example.

Low radiated heat

As we’ve already touched on, LED lighting emits much less heat than fluorescent, halogen, Sodium, Metal Halide or incandescent lighting does. Where alternative lighting methods emit heat, LED lights emit electromagnetic energy as light when electrified.

LEDs emitting significantly less heat means they can operate at a significantly lower temperature. The little heat that they do emit is dissipated by a heat sink, which absorbs heat and safely disperses it away from the diodes.

If your warehouse is a heat-sensitive area, then LEDs really are the only option. While the fixtures or base can emit heat while dissipating to the LED’s heat sink, the bulbs themselves do not radiate heat.

Immediate illumination

Unlike fluorescent lighting options, LEDs operate at full brightness as soon as you flicks the switch. No more waiting for the lights to ‘warm up’, instantaneous lighting should be a standard benefit of your warehouse in 2020.

Cost effective

The actual amount your company could save will vary on the size of your location, how many lighting fixtures you require and other factors.

A study has shown that the average warehouse in the UK has saved up to 62% of their annual outgoings when switching to LEDs.

Not only are they much cheaper to run, the low maintenance factor also means less is spent on replacing or repairing fixtures.

Get in touch

For more information on what we can offer your business, check out our low energy industrial lighting options.

If you’d like more information on our efficient LED warehouse lighting, please don’t hesitate to contact us on sales@konect-electrical.co.uk

LED Lighting: the cost-effective lighting installation for your business

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There are many different options to consider when looking to upgrade your commercial lighting and it can be hard to work out which will be the most cost-effective in the long run. With energy costs rapidly rising, and government legislation to reduce carbon emissions, there are many reasons to look at replacing old lighting systems with energy efficient ones in commercial spaces.

LED lighting is the most cost-effective and energy efficient lighting solution, and can now be found in many homes. However, their true versatility and effectiveness can be seen in commercial spaces such as warehouses and factories where good lighting is essential and needs to work for a variety of different activities.

It can be easy to be put off by the initial costs of replacing an outdated lighting system with an LED lighting installation but with the swift payback LED lighting provides through energy efficiency, reduced maintenance, Enhanced Capital Allowance energy scheme and qualifying for certain tax allowances; the costs are more than offset and the lighting will pay for itself and be profitable in the long run.

One of the main ways that LED lighting is the most cost-effective lighting solution is because it is designed for maximum efficiency, using less energy than older lighting systems. As LED lights do not generate as much heat, less energy is wasted and therefore can provide increased cost savings on energy bills for maintaining ambient temperatures. If you were also to install intelligent lighting controls, you could save your business even more money.

LED lights require less maintenance than halogen or fluorescent lighting as they are much more durable and built to last longer. An LED light has a lifespan in excess of 50,000 hours therefore reducing maintenance to almost zero.

If you are looking to cut the cost of your energy bills by replacing your lighting system, then we can help from design, to installation and through to maintenance. Get in touch to find out more.

Lighting design to lift morale

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As the shorter days and longer, darker nights draw in, it can be hard to keep morale up without the bright, warm sunshine we long for. It is also often stated that natural light is the best way to improve your mood, but installing more windows at home or in the office isn’t always an option. However, another solution is the clever use of lighting, whether it is at home, in hotels or even in the office.

Create different moods

If you are looking to boost your employees’ morale and productivity when they are in the office, and natural lighting is not really an option, then you can utilise different levels of lighting for different areas to create the right mood, depending on what you require from each space.

Studies have shown that cooler, blue lights, improve productivity in workers. Therefore, spaces where employees need to be engaged and alert could benefit from blue-enriched light.

If you have spaces such as meeting rooms or social spaces where you want to emit trust and comfort, using warmer toned lighting will help to create that mood, helping your employees to feel comfortable and relaxed.

Spaces such as conference rooms need to be balanced somewhere in the middle, allowing a more friendly, approachable feel to the room, whilst still maintaining the productivity and alertness achieved through blue lighting.

These approaches can also work well in the home, using cooler, blue-enriched lighting in spaces such as the kitchen or dining room, where work or study may occur, and warm, cosy tones in living rooms and bedrooms where relaxation is key.

Make the most of spaces

Do you have large, open plan spaces that have multiple uses? You can utilise zoned lighting to split the spaces up, using warmer lighting for more social, comfortable areas with sofas or coffee tables, and then cooler lighting in areas for concentration, such as reception desks in hotels.

Smart Lighting

Using an automated lighting solution can help to improve morale by automatically shifting the lighting to the required levels depending on the situation at hand. For example, lighting in an office should be cooler earlier on in the day, shifting to warmer tones as the day progresses, keeping morale and optimum levels. An automated system can help facilitate this shift throughout the day and work with any natural light you have in the space already, brightening lights on darker days or times, and turning off automatically when there is no movement in the room. There is also an added benefit of cost savings through an automated lighting system.

Improve Employee Engagement

With the rising costs of electricity and high energy usage in commercial office spaces, updating the lighting systems in your offices could save your business up to 80%.

Replacing outdated lighting systems with automated solutions that help to create the atmosphere you need in your offices as well as reducing your carbon footprint which can also have the added benefit of improving your employee engagement as they will be happy especially if being eco-friendly is part of their core personal values, all while saving your business money.

If you are investigating ways to boost morale while making cost savings and keeping your employee engagement high, we could help you find the solution. Give us a call on 0161 428 7162, or drop us a line at sales@ozonelighting.co.uk and we will be happy to help.

 

 

Zac Oultram continues his winning streak

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Continuing on from his success at Brands Hatch, Zac Oultram took three wins at Donnington Park, giving him at 50 point lead in the Pre National 600s. With Snetterton less than a fortnight away, Zac has his sights already set on the Pre National championship, with a view to the roads in the near future.

Carbon Trust Accredited Supplier

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Ozone Lighting Solutions has become a Carbon Trust accredited supplier. This means we are approved to deliver projects funded through the Green Business Fund.  The Green Business Fund offers a capital contribution of up to 30% of a project cost to small and medium sized businesses who need financial support to help them become a greener business. Only accredited suppliers of the Carbon Trust can deliver projects funded through the Green Business Fund.

Electrical installation at Exchange Station, Liverpool

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Ozone Lighting’s installation company, Konect Electrical, is well underway with a substantial electrical installation at Exchange Station, situated in the heart of Liverpool’s business district. Works consist of lighting, mains distribution, containment, small power, fire & security systems and testing & commissioning. The former Victorian railway station building is one of the most sustainable office buildings within the Merseyside region, comprising 193,000 sq. ft. Grade A office space.

Zac Oultram Crowned Thundersport Pre-National 600 Sport Champion 2017

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Zac Oultram wins the Thundersport A&R Racing/Continental Tyres Pre-National 600 Sport championship with two rounds to spare.

After opening the Anglesey round with a win ahead of Will Harper and Luke Turner, the Ozone Lighting Solutions Sponsored Stockport rider is crowned the 2017 Pre national 600 Champion. The Konect Racing Kawasaki ZX6R rider has had at least a win at every round of the 2017 season.

Zac takes the championship with two rounds in the race calendar spare.

Zac Oultram competes in Thundersport GB

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Zac Oultram, Design & Estimating Manager at Konect, has signed up to compete in Thundersport GB in 2017.  Ozone is excited to be sponsoring Zac, who will be competing at many racing events throughout the year. The season started at Brands Hatch on 4 March with Zac taking a win and three second places in the Pre-National 600 series. Zac has also gained sponsorship from Ashley James Shopfitters, Spring Decorating, 6T9 and Owkay Clothing. The next race meeting is to be held at Donnington Park on 25 and 26 March and other dates can be found here. We look forward to providing updates on the results.