And we’re not just talking about the energy bill.
For education estates and facilities teams, the cost of lighting goes far beyond electricity consumption.
Ageing or poorly controlled lighting can mean unnecessary energy use, increasing maintenance demands, time-consuming emergency testing and spaces operating at full output when occupancy or daylight simply doesn’t require it.
Then there’s another consideration that’s harder to put on a spreadsheet: are your learning environments working as well as they could for the people using them?
Classrooms and study areas need comfortable lighting that supports concentration. Social spaces should feel welcoming. Sports halls need robust, flexible solutions for everything from PE and competitive sport to examinations and assemblies. Corridors, specialist teaching spaces, external areas and back-of-house environments each bring different demands.
So rather than simply replacing fittings as they fail, could looking at lighting more strategically make your available budget work harder?
Intelligent controls and dimming can reduce unnecessary energy use. Addressable emergency testing can simplify testing and estate management. Efficient, long-life luminaires can reduce maintenance demands. And a phased approach can help prioritise investment where it could make the greatest difference.
There is already plenty of evidence across education. NVC lighting has been used on projects including Dixons Kings Academy, Easington Academy, King’s Park Secondary School, Priestley College, UCA Farnham and the Universities of Birmingham and Brighton.
At Bradford Grammar School, a major lighting upgrade extended across classrooms, sports facilities, theatre, laboratories, workshops, circulation areas, kitchens and external spaces, together with integrated emergency lighting. The result? Reported annual energy savings of more than £65,000 and a 34% reduction in monthly energy costs.
So perhaps the first question for your next project shouldn’t be: “Which light fitting do we need?”
It should be: “What do we need our lighting investment to achieve?”
Explore NVC lighting solutions for education here: and download our Education Lighting Brochure here.
