Remanufacture of 6,000 office lights saves 8 tons of steel

The remanufacture of 6,000 office luminaires at a building in London Bridge is saving the production of 7.9 tons of mild steel and reducing energy and carbon by 61 per cent.
The lights at the 37,000 square metre office complex are being upgraded from fluorescent to LED by the original supplier, Kent-based FUTURE Designs.
The company, the UK’s largest luminaire remanufacturer, says the client’s decision not only hugely reduces the energy and carbon use within the premises but also reduces the extraction from the earth’s crust.
The company says the project – under its ‘Carbon Careful’ initiative – takes the total office space that it has relit using reconditioned fittings to 371,000 square metres or 4 million square feet.
Most projects involved the transformation of the fittings with LED gear trays.
Future Designs chief executive David Clements told the Circular Lighting Review: ‘The carbon careful initiative could be described as a best kept secret, as a hugely efficient design and manufacturing business we have always endeavoured to keep waste to a minimum, and now as the world is faced with a growing necessity to refurbish, re-use and restore wherever feasible,  we are sharing our story and expertise to encourage more organisations to follow suit.’
The firm has produced a carbon careful™ book which showcases a range of examples from leading blue-chip organisations, many in the City of London.
‘LED has been the lighting medium of choice for over 10 years now but there are still millions of old fluorescent fittings being used to illuminate space,’ says Clements. ‘By switching to LED, energy and carbon usage can be reduced by circa 50 per cent, coupled with the reuse of mild steel and aluminium, the savings are significant.
‘LED has a far greater lifespan, and its ‘solid state’ makes it easier to dispose of, without the risk of harmful gases such as mercury found in fluorescent lamps making it better for the environment.’
Projects in the carbon careful initiative include a major refurbishment of Shell’s London offices, where all office lights, as well as special heritage luminaires, were removed, upgraded and refurbished.

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