Partner Article

Londis store to cut its lighting energy consumption

Award-winning lighting manufacturer, MHA Lighting, is helping a Londis convenience store slash its lighting energy bills by 63%.

The project at Hillnews, Darlington, will cut lighting energy bills by 63% and Co2 emissions by 63 tonnes.

Greater Manchester-based MHA Lighting replaced traditional fluorescents throughout Hillsnews’ shop floor, back office and post office areas with a selection of their award-winning TiLite fittings.

Hillsnews owner and Londis Retail partner, Andy Hill said: “We sought a new lighting solution after the costs associated with replacing our existing fluorescents with like-for-like became too much.

“We conducted an extensive procurement process and selected MHA Lighting because of their reputation and proven ability to design and install bespoke projects at other convenience stores.”

With the store’s 15 hour day cycle, MHA Lighting is able to provide an ROI of 439% by significantly reducing annual lighting energy consumption from 16,767Kw/h (annual cost of £20,400) to just 6,140Kw/h. Annual energy bills have therefore been reduced to an average of just £1,764, bringing product lifetime savings to £17,562.

MHA Lighting’s patented TiLite technology achieves high colour rendering of 80CRI and 4,500 kelvin colour temperature. This particular combination offers the optimal colour for displaying produce thus enhancing the shopping experience for customers and increasing sales.

The lighting system is also extremely low maintenance and will run for 60,000 hours of continuous use. With Hillsnews’ 15 hour a day operation the lights will not need replacing for eleven years, making additional savings on maintenance costs of £205 per year – a saving of £2,255 over the product’s lifetime.

An additional benefit comes as the sealed units do not attract dust or insects, making them the most hygienic option for any convenience store. The lack of heat given off by the units also means that produce stays fresher for longer and chillers and air conditioning doesn’t need to work as hard, saving further energy usage.

Andy continued: “The new LED lighting has considerably improved lighting levels and is significantly reducing our on-going energy costs, which for me is essential.

“I was particularly impressed with how vibrant the produce looks and the reduced flicker on CCTV monitors which has dramatically enhanced clarity of the CCTV footage.

“Both customers and staff have commented on how much brighter the store now appears.”

Andy added: “MHA Lighting’s team were both professional and knowledgeable right from day one of the project. They caused absolutely no disruption to my business as they were able to install the lighting outside of the store’s opening hours.”

MHA Lighting’s Managing Director Tom Harrison said: “We are thrilled that Hillsnews Londis chose MHA Lighting to renovate its existing lighting scheme.

“I am proud to say we are helping them to achieve a 63% cut in their lighting energy bills, whilst improving the shopping experience for their customers.

“Although smaller retailers are not affected by the government CRC scheme, it is great to see the more savvy retail business owners and franchisees making significant cost reductions, whilst doing their bit for the environment.”

Other retail stores to recently purchase lighting systems from MHA Lighting include Tout’s Budgens in Somerset, Mace, Cost Cutter, SPAR and various independent stores.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anthony Monks .