Leading credit union saves money with a lighting refit
Posted on 14th February 2025
Commsave, based on Moulton Park in Northampton, is one of the UK’s largest credit unions, serving more than 37,000 members nationwide. It helps people access the financial services they need and provides members with competitive savings options.
As a not-for-profit co-operative the priority is to provide excellent service for members. Making the best use of resources is essential, so energy efficiency is important.
An LED lighting assessment
The MSE team recently worked with Midshires Electrical & Lighting to specify and install energy efficient LED lighting at Commsave’s premises.
Open six days per week with over 200 existing light fittings annual energy use was almost 60,000KWh, costing nearly £17,500. Ongoing upkeep and maintenance also added to the costs.
We recommended ‘indirect’ LED panels with reduced glare for the office areas which are much kinder to the eyes. These cost more than standard panels, so we included lower cost options for areas like break rooms and corridors.
We also included motion sensors for lobby areas, kitchens, cleaners’ cupboards, communications rooms, and staff rooms. These further improve energy efficiency, turning off lighting when there’s enough natural light or no
The LED business case is clear
Overall, these energy-efficient LED lighting options, used for the same amount of time, reduced estimated energy use by 70%. With a five-year warranty there’s no need to worry about maintenance either. This offered an annual saving of over £13,000. Even more impressive than the cost savings was the 21.5tonne reduction in CO2 production.
Based on these figures, Commsave’s return on their investment would cover the costs in just over eighteen months.
James Richards is Strategic Partnership Manager at Commsave. Part of his role is oversight of the environmental strategy.
James says: “We can all help to protect the environment through both small and large decisions. We encourage our members to make energy savings like using LED lights. It’s important that the Commsave team does the same. Cutting our running costs makes us more resilient, especially as energy prices continue to rise. We’re also playing our part in achieving national carbon neutral targets. Our thanks go to MSE, who explained the benefits of switching to LED lighting so clearly. The team made sure the installation was smooth and fully met our needs.”
Capital grants for energy saving projects
Power to Change grants help new and existing community businesses grow and become more sustainable. Established organisations can apply for funding for business development projects to improve their financial stability, including energy efficiency measures.
The Energy Efficiency Sharematch helps co-operatives and community benefit societies in England reduce their energy use. You can register your interest until March 2025.
There’s also a government funding scheme to help voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in England improve their energy efficiency. If you have an energy assessment you can apply for a capital grant to install the recommended measures. Qualifying organisations must complete their installations by 31 March 2025, so there’s still time.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss the energy savings you can achieve with LED lighting.
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