Forticrete shaves 14 tonnes CO2 off lighting: scoops sustainability award 03 July 2014

Concrete construction products manufacturer Forticrete is reporting lighting energy costs down 69% at its Ibstock plant following installation of Hilux T5 fluorescent lighting with presence detection.

So impressive were the results of the Tamlite Lighting system that the plant, near Leicester, won the sustainability category in this year's British Precast Awards.

"Energy efficiency is obviously highly topical and the carbon savings we were able to achieve made us stand out," comments Karl Stevens, health, safety and environmental advisor at Forticrete.

"The judges were impressed with the presence control built into the lighting, which means we avoid needless waste of energy. We also emphasised that we looked closely at the effectiveness of the lighting, not just that it was energy-efficient," he adds.

Stevens explains that the Forticrete Leighton Buzzard site had already seen success in upgrading its lighting to the point where it was the runner up at last year's British Precast Award for its exterior lighting project.

"Using their advice, we then worked with Tamlite to specify which technology would be most effective for us."

Tamlite Hilux T5 lighting was installed across the Ibstock site's warehouse, pigment store, fitting shop and production areas.

The low-profile fluorescent luminaires, with their white painted steel construction, are fitted with T5 fluorescent lamps and Vision 103 sensors, which detect both occupancy and daylight levels.

Forticrete calculates that it is saving £2,080 on energy bills every year, compared with its previous lighting – saving 14 tonnes of CO2 per annum.

"We have a commitment to good environmental management under ISO 14001 and we're constantly looking for ways to make the plant run more efficiently," comments Stevens.

"In both environmental and financial terms, the Tamlite installation has been a huge success for us."

Brian Tinham

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