Kingspan Insulated Panels has launched its ZerO Energy Lighting solution which combines rooflights, LED lighting, smart controls and solar PV.

The system has been designed to help businesses completely eliminate their lighting electricity bills.

The company has placed an emphasis on the importance of harnessing sunlight to help light buildings. Kingspan claims its Day-Lite polycarbonate rooflights will allow natural sunlight into the building which will then be automatically augmented by the company's LED luminaires and smart controls. The company claims that the smart dimming controls on its LED lights enable precise zoning that typically reduce energy consumption by around 85-90%.

Jonathan Dore, commercial director, fabrications safety and lighting solutions for Kingspan Limited explained the company's philosophy behind its energy offerings: “For every project we undertake, we aim to deliver an ROI of under three years based entirely on capital cost versus energy and maintenance cost. We have achieved this figure for every project we have worked on to date, and these numbers don’t even take into account the additional benefits of improved productivity, retail sales etc. associated with better ambient lighting.”

The final piece of the ZerO Energy Lighting offering is a solar PV installation by Kingspan Energy. The company states that a typical PV system will generate more than enough electricity to cover the residual lighting energy demand, often producing surplus.

To coincide with the launch of Kingspan's lighting solution, the company commissioned research that revealed that lighting costs can represent up to 43% of total electricity consumption in the warehouse sector. Lighting costs represent 22.6% of total electricity consumption for the wider business sector.

Kingspan claims that its ZerO Energy Lighting system can save the warehouse sector £430 million in annual electricity bills, with the retail sector capable of saving £1.21 billion. In addition, if the average business adopted improved lighting systems it could cut its annual lighting bill from £25,583 to £3,837.