Synergy News & Blog: News
LEDs: Lighting The Way To Smarter School Savings
As schools continue to navigate high energy costs and growing sustainability goals, many are looking for practical, long-term solutions that deliver both environmental and financial benefits.
Upgrading to LED lighting is a relatively simple but impactful change that brings a wide range of benefits:
Significant Energy Savings
LED lights consume significantly less energy than traditional bulbs resulting in a reduction of CO2 production and lower electricity bills.
Lighting uses a lot of power, and with schools running lighting systems for dozens of hours per week, switching to LEDs is a relatively straightforward way to become more energy efficient.
While the initial cost of replacing all the bulbs within a school may be higher, many schools recoup the installation costs quickly. After the payback period, return on investment is clear as ongoing savings can be redirected to other priorities.
Longer Lifespan
LEDs have a longer lifespan and require less maintenance than traditional lighting. They are also more durable and resistant to breakage. This is especially valuable to schools that will have hundreds of light fittings.
Enhanced Learning Environment
Operating at a higher frequency flicker rate means the flicker of LEDs is not perceptible to the human eye. Well-lit classrooms with a bright, stable light source provide enhanced environments for visual comfort, focus and productivity. The aesthetics of intelligent lighting design can also have a positive impact on the wellbeing of students and staff.
Improved Safety
LEDs don’t contain harmful substances like mercury, which is found in many fluorescent lights. They also generate less heat, lowering the risk of fire hazards and keeping classrooms cooler—especially important in warm months or in schools without air conditioning.
Case Study:
Synergy recently supported the Bourne Education Trust with installing new, energy-efficient LED lighting at Teddington School. Our team delivered the replacement of 1366 light fittings in the Main Building which previously used outdated fluorescent bulbs. The LED type fittings were manufactured by Dextra Lighting and installed by contractor Baudelaire Ltd. Bespoke gear trays were also made to fit the existing raft systems within the classrooms.
Based on a usage of 55 hours per week across 43 weeks of the year at a unit price of 0.25p, Teddington School is able to save £80,764.75 per year on their electricity usage.
This provides a payback period of 3.9 years based on the cost of the installation being £315,259.21.
