The company has achieved savings of £116,000 on its annual energy bills at its Cumbrian distribution centre, as a result of an installation of LED lamps controlled by high-bay motion detectors from Steinel (UK).

The lighting at Wolseley’s sites was identified as a significant source of energy waste. Not only were its fluorescent lamps and light fittings outdated and inefficient, the lights also blazed 24h/day.

Using sensor control seemed like the obvious solution, providing an automatic means to switch on the lights only in the areas that people were actually using – and switch them off again when that part of the building was empty. However, Wolseley had installed sensors in previous projects and found them not fit for purpose. Part of the problem was that the distribution centre’s high ceilings – 15m in some areas – were too much of a challenge for many types of sensors.

Rather than abandoning the idea of sensor control altogether, Wolseley brought in QE Global to trial a new type of sensor in one of the loading areas at Wolseley’s Melmerby site in Cumbria.

“For the pilot, we used Steinel’s highly-sensitive IS345 MX infrared motion detectors,” comments Andy Smythe, sales manager, QE Global. “The pilot not only established that the sensors were fit for purpose, it also made it possible to make accurate payback projections. This meant that Wolseley was able to mobilise capital expenditure for a full installation of sensors.”

Following the successful trial, QE Global completely overhauled the lighting at Wolseley’s Melmerby site, with the installation taking place over a seven-week period. All of the fluorescent fittings and high- and low-bay floodlights were replaced with LEDs, with 349 Steinel IS345 MX sensors installed to ensure intelligent control of the new lighting.

The Steinel infrared motion detectors have been designed specifically for depot and warehouse environments with high ceilings. With a radial detection zone of 30 x 4 m, the IS 345 MX sensors are extremely sensitive – ensuring no one is ever left in the dark.

“The 15m-high ceilings at the Melmerby distribution centre have proved no problem for the Steinel sensors, demonstrating that new technology is opening up new ways to save energy, even in challenging environments,” says QE Global’s Andy Smythe.

The project has resulted in Wolseley saving an estimated £116,000 on its energy bills every year. The lights have gone from being in use 24h/day to an average of 2.5h/dayday over a 5-day week. QE Global estimates the site is now using 80% less energy for its lighting – providing a huge contribution towards Wolseley’s energy-saving targets.

“The massive reduction in the number of hours that the lights are in use just goes to show how important it is to use intelligent lighting control,” comments QE Global’s Andy Smythe. “This project has been a huge success, with the Steinel motion detectors playing a vital role in transforming the energy-efficiency of Wolseley’s Melmerby site. In fact, Wolseley was so pleased with the result that the company gave QE Global the go-ahead to install Steinel sensors at another of its distribution centres, with more sites to follow.”