Press Release

November 09

Weblight is Shortlisted for the 'Best Carbon Reduction Project' at the Awards for Environmental Excellence 2009

Weblight Ltd recently attended the Edie Awards for Environmental Excellence 2009 held on 12th November 2009 at the Hurlingham Club in London where they were shortlisted for an award within the Best Carbon Reduction Category for a project undertaken in partnership with Mitie Engineering Maintenance and Philips Lighting at the Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham. 

This award highlights the achievements of companies which have gone beyond the call of duty to improve their green credentials and provide a platform for the promotion of the most innovative and effective environmental solutions of our time, celebrating the successes of those companies working towards a sustainable future. 

Weblight is very pleased to have been shortlisted for this award and recognition that this project demonstrates innovation, cuts emissions and acts as an inspiration for others to follow.

Weblight Limited, in partnership with Philips Lighting and Mitie Engineering Maintenance, undertook a project to replace the cold cathode decorative lighting scheme at the Bullring Shopping Centre, Birmingham, with a sustainable, state-of-the-art LED solution.  The overall aim of this project was to enhance the Bullring's reputation as one of the Country’s premier retail centres, offering a unique and entertaining shopper experience through dynamic external lighting displays supported by a sustainable energy efficient lighting solution.  

With over 40 million visitors each year, the Bullring has received many accolades for its appeal as one of the most exciting shopping destinations in Europe.  Tim Walley, Managing Director of the Bullring stated 'we had 2 main criteria when selecting the design, it had to support the Bullring's image and importantly, had to be sustainable as sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations'.  

The simple solution for the Bullring would have been to re-gas the existing cold cathode product and retain the status quo. However, Weblights innovative scheme provides the energy savings required by the Bullring, but also provides a host of creative lighting displays which shoppers and visitors can enjoy, providing an enhanced shopper experience. 

Internally the project utilises Philips Ew Cove Powercore for the areas around the main escalators, toilets, lifts and decorative shaped facets recessed into the ceiling voids of the main walkways.  This product delivers a high quality white light and has been specifically designed for interior aloves and atriums making it ideal for the Bullring.  Externally, RGB iColour Cove QL was installed along the walkways with ColourBlast modules positioned near to the major retailers.  LED City Wing streetlighting was also installed - their sleek design complementing the mix of historic and contemporary architecture.   

As a direct result of this approach, as of mid-2008, the Bullring is benefitting from a staggering 85% saving in energy consumption (equating to £34,000 savings in running costs and 251 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum – equivalent to 1241 hot air balloons!).  Maintenance costs are also dramatically reduced as LED’s have an extremely long life of approximately 50,000 hours, and an anticipated payback period of 3.7 years, proving that environmentally friendly lighting solutions can be integrated seamlessly into an iconic design.  

Managing Director of the Bullring, Tim Walley, states 'selecting LED's has enabled us to enhance the Bullring's aesthetics and visual impact, offering a spectacular night-time vibrancy bought about by the exciting light shows that we can create, all of which has been achieved without compromise to our environmental responsibility'.