Two major car brands - Toyota and Lexus - have used energy-efficient LED lighting as part of their joint carbon reduction strategy to drive down the carbon footprint of their centres by 20 per cent by the end of 2014.
A pilot scheme in 2009 by the carmakers highlighted how a considerable amount of energy savings could be made at various centres across the UK without a great deal of upfront capital necessarily needed.
Therefore, obligatory surveys were carried out at the locations in order to ascertain what energy and carbon cutbacks could be made and where, and then monitoring equipment was installed to keep track of each centre's progress.
As part of the energy-saving rollout, many sites had specialist equipment - such as LED lighting - installed. For example, at Jemca Toyota on Edgware Road in London, LED lights have been installed throughout the premises - not just in the showroom but also in the workshops and offices.
They have proved to be 65 per cent more efficient than the previous system, meaning that the cost saved on energy usage is paying back the upfront investment of the retrofit project in just four years.
While this is a commercial example, it still goes to show the cost-effective energy-saving solution that could be provided by the simple installation of some new ceiling light fittings or ceiling spotlights around the home.
In addition, due to the huge amount of money being invested in the industry and the consequently impressive technological advances, the quality of light produced by new LED bulbs is far superior to their older counterparts. More often than not, this means that fewer units are needed in the design of such retrofit projects - further bringing down installation costs.
Across all Lexus and Toyota centres, the initiative is now saving more than 3,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, which is the equivalent amount of emissions produced by an average car driving 13.8 million miles.
