The Trust's offices are now benefitting from the improved light and significant energy savings generated by 500 standard and 80 emergency light fittings supplied by Dartford-based 8point3 LED.
The company, which manufactures its fittings at its own factory in Belvedere, Kent, won the contract after supplying the Trust with a competitive and aesthetically pleasing LED package.
Paul Jenkins, capital programme manager at the Trust, said, "We welcomed tenders from a number of LED companies but 8point3's proved to be the best. We're really pleased with how the lights look, like normal four-tube fluorescent units, as opposed to the solid white blocks offered by other firms.
"The vast majority of our staff have said they prefer them to traditional ones as there's no flicker at all and the lights are better and brighter. We'd like to thank 8point3 for their professionalism. There were absolutely no problems between the time we placed our order and delivery. The lights arrived on time and everything went to plan.
"All the lights are installed and now we're looking forward to the cost-savings, which will be particularly felt after three-and-a-half years, when the system will have paid for itself."
Matt Azzopardi, Technical Director of 8point3 LED, said, "LED lighting brings with it dramatic reductions in both energy consumption and maintenance costs while providing staff with a brighter, healthier working environment.
"Our customers typically record energy savings of between 50-80% against equivalent traditional lights and significantly reduce the amount of CO2 generated by their organisation. With an expected lifetime well in excess of 50,000 hours, the absence of routine maintenance and re-lamping costs further add to the benefits of this unique technology.
"We specify a daylight white colour for our office LED solutions with an emitted light colour around 5,000 Kelvin - equivalent to noon daylight on a sunny day. This naturally promotes a more refreshing and vibrant working environment for staff. This colour temperature is the same as that used in lamps to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)."
Ashley Bateup, 8point 3 LED's managing director, added, "We use high quality CREE chips, all of our products come with a five-year warranty and we guarantee no maintenance costs for the life of the warranty period."
(Jim Evans)
