Response 1825025

Response to request for information

Reference

1825025

Response date

28 July 2023

Request

I kindly request the following information:

1. Documentation or reports detailing the existing lighting control systems deployed across various council-managed buildings and public areas.
2. Information on the extent to which the current lighting controls are fully utilized and optimized for energy efficiency.
3. Data on energy consumption patterns related to lighting across different council facilities and public spaces.
4. Any evaluations or assessments conducted to gauge the performance and effectiveness of the existing lighting controls.
5. Insights into the challenges or limitations faced with the current lighting controls and any associated maintenance or operational costs.
6. Any plans or strategies your council has in place to improve and enhance lighting controls for better energy efficiency and user experience.
7. Recommendations or proposed improvements to the existing lighting controls, including the incorporation of innovative technologies or best practices.
8. Any initiatives or projects undertaken to promote sustainability through lighting control optimization.
9. Contact information for any relevant personnel or departments involved in managing lighting controls within the council.

Response

1. Documentation or reports detailing the existing lighting control systems deployed across various council-managed buildings and public areas.

   All operational Council buildings typically have lighting controls in place in the form of absence or occupancy sensors for internal spaces [most are standalone type, but we have installed some recently which are integral to fittings and we also have some which have daylight compensation] and for external spaces via timeclocks in tandem with photocells. We do not have digital records which capture the type/system of lighting control at each building/POS involved, this information could be assembled but will take time and some cost to complete and would likely result in a charge.

2. Information on the extent to which the current lighting controls are fully utilized and optimized for energy efficiency.

   All lighting controls installed are fully utilised and maintained to maximise energy saving.

3. Data on energy consumption patterns related to lighting across different council facilities and public spaces.

   We do not monitor energy consumption specifically related to lighting.

4. Any evaluations or assessments conducted to gauge the performance and effectiveness of the existing lighting controls.

   We do not have any performance related statistics in this regard; the lighting controls are maintained in working order and the savings automatically follow.

5. Insights into the challenges or limitations faced with the current lighting controls and any associated maintenance or operational costs.

   No issues specifically, however we have some DALI lighting control systems installed and have found these to be expensive to maintain particularly in terms of engineers time. Another issue relates to the manual adjustment of time clocks on external lighting to move between GMT and BST.

6. Any plans or strategies your council has in place to improve and enhance lighting controls for better energy efficiency and user experience.

   We have recently installed replacement LED lighting to one of our commercial office lets and included IoT monitoring so that faults are quickly reported and reacted to.

7. Recommendations or proposed improvements to the existing lighting controls, including the incorporation of innovative technologies or best practices.

   See above – we will monitor the effectiveness of this technology with a view to rolling out more widely.

8. Any initiatives or projects undertaken to promote sustainability through lighting control optimization.

   See response to 6 above.

9. Contact information for any relevant personnel or departments involved in managing lighting controls within the council.

   Mr A Hutson - Property Services Manager, Oliver Felstead – Building & Facilities Surveyor, Lauren Pidduck – Property Services Officer