Remaining Plant Sciences greenhouse lights replaced

Photo of plants inside a greenhouse with heat lighting above

The department’s greenhouses need specialist lighting to provide controlled growing conditions for its research. The first two tranches of lights were replaced with energy-efficient LEDs in 2014 and 2016/17, with funding provided by the Environmental Sustainability team.

Later in 2019, the department approached the team again to talk about the next phase of the project, replacing the remaining 141 old-style sodium and metal halide lights.

The Environmental Sustainability team worked with the department and the central Purchasing team to negotiate preferential rates on the new lights, which arrived in late January and are now being installed.

Each LED is around 50% more efficient than what it replaces, and the project is expected to save around £25,000 a year in lower electricity bills, paying for itself within three years, as well as preventing nearly 60 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted.

Departmental colleagues who are interested in projects to improve lab energy efficiency should contact Stefanie Reiss in the Environmental Sustainability team on stefanie.reiss@admin.ox.ac.uk