The system, which has been paid for in part by a Carbon Trust grant, is set to save the company almost £3,500-a-year in electricity savings, while reducing it's carbon emissions by 18,161 kg of C02 per year. The Carbon Trust Green Business Fund provides up to £10,000 capital contribution towards LED lighting through fully-accredited suppliers.

Installed by local supplier SunGift Energy, which previously designed and installed the company's 50kW rooftop solar system, the LED lighting is also making visibility in the warehouse much clearer.

"It's one of those improvements that makes sense from every angle," said Nick Wilson, Purchasing Manager at Air Control Industries. "When SunGift reviewed our site and showed us the money we would save, the reduction in downtime for repairing broken standard lights, and the concentration benefits for our staff, switching from standard lighting to LED was the obvious choice.

"Lighting is a huge overhead for us," added Nick, "but now our annual costs will reduce from approximately £5,000 per year to £1,500 per year. That's a huge reduction - £42,000 over the expected lifespan of the lights. I'd advise any business that has considerable lighting costs to make the switch."

Before carrying out the work, SunGift Energy carried out a thorough analysis of Air Control Industries' lighting requirements. The company, which manufacturers industrial fans and blowers, was using just over 50,000 kWh of electricity per year, but its new lighting will reduce this to less than 16,000 kWh per year.

"Like many other manufacturing companies, Air Control Industries relies on constant lighting in their facilities," said LED lighting specialist Fred Thomson from SunGift Energy.

"Perhaps even more important than the cost savings though is the improvement to their working environment. LED lighting is bright and more powerful, runs much cooler than traditional lights, and its clarity helps employees work more accurately and focus without straining their eyes. They're also ideal for workers who get headaches and migraines in environments that use traditional 'flickering' lighting."

Fred added: "Air Control Industries' LED lighting works perfectly alongside the Solar PV system that installed in 2013 too, as both serve to lower the company's electricity bills and reduce their carbon emissions."

The completed system included a full review and diagnosis of Air Control Industries' lighting requirements, followed by the installation of 32 Fitzgerald 'Lowbay' LED lights and 15 JCC 'Skypack Plus' LED battens.

The full system cost £15,000, but Air Control Industries received a financial contribution of almost £4,000 towards this from the Carbon Trust Green Business Fund. The savings mean that the system will have 'paid for itself' in just over two-and-a-half years.

 www.sungiftsolar.co.uk