Financial services firm BNY Mellon was looking to upgrade the lighting in its Cork office to improve lighting performance, reduce maintenance and save energy. They teamed up with Kellihers Lighting Supply Partner, Philips Ireland, to deliver an LED lighting solution that resulted in a phenomenal energy saving of almost 75%.
Project: BNY Mellon Cork Offices, LED lighting conversion
Contractor: HR Electrical Services
Case Study Source: Philips
By upgrading the lighting systems in their Cork office to high efficiency LED fittings global investment banking firm BNY Mellon achieved energy savings of nearly 75%, and improved lighting performance, enhancing working conditions for their staff.
The Problem
A combination of ageing fluorescent light fittings and limited lighting control options meant the lighting system at BNY Mellon's 3,900 square metre offices in Cork was relatively high. Employee engagement sessions also flagged that staff weren't happy with the quality of the lighting. The company needed a modern, energy efficient lighting solution that would also surpass the performance of their existing system.
The Solution
BNY Mellon selected leading LED lighting specialists Philips Ireland to work with their contractor HR Electrical Service on the project.
“There were very strong cost and environmental reasons for upgrading the lighting at the Cork 
office and with the help of Philips we spent a lot of time evaluating different lighting scenarios,” said Michael O'Kane, Regional Facilities Manager with BNY Mellon.
The company had been disappointed with both the light output and colour consistency of LED lighting in the past, so they carried out a small-scale pilot project at their Dublin office to assess the performance of the latest generation of high-performance LEDs. The results confirmed that LEDs were the ideal lighting solution for the larger scale project planned for Cork.
“Control was also an important consideration," said Mr O'Kane. "We wanted to ensure that lighting was only used where necessary, taking advantage of the high levels of natural daylight at the building perimeters and responding to variable occupancy."
Contractor HR Electrical Services replaced the old fluorescent lighting with a mixture of Philips LED fittings to suit the various lighting requirements of the space, including PowerBalance, LuxSpace, Coreline, AmenityLED and Master LED Lamps and LightMaster networked lighting control systems.
“The scope and scale of the range of fittings available from Philips made it possible to source everything from one company,” said Mr O’Kane.
The Result
Based on before and after measurements the switch from fluorescent to high efficiency LED lighting and sophisticated modern lighting controls has resulted in an ongoing saving of almost 75% on BNY Melon's lighting energy usage in Cork. Pre-project forecasts predicted a payback to the company within around 3.5 years, and based on performance to date the project is on track to deliver within that time frame.
“The combination of low energy lighting and sophisticated control has delivered significant energy and carbon savings and there will be additional financial benefits from reduced maintenance requirements," said Mr Cane.
To find out more about how much your company could save by switching to LED, and applying for an Energy Credit Grant to cover part of the cost, apply for your free Kellihers Lighting Audit today.
NB. This case study was sourced via a Kellihers Lighting Supply Partner, to highlight the benefits of switching to energy efficient LED lighting. It does not necessarily imply that Kellihers was directly involved in the specific project featured.
