Canary Wharf sees the light as electricians replace 9,300 bulbs to cut emissions

A major lighting upgrading has been carried out to brighten up the shopping centres in the Canary Wharf business district in east London while also reducing their carbon emissions.

Canary Wharf Group has spent £400,000 to reduce the yearly emissions by almost 2,000 tons.

The lighting in one-million sq ft of retail space at Canada Place, Jubilee Place and Cabot Place malls has been replaced with state-of-the-art diode lighting, including the car parks.

The upgrade is estimated to save more than three-and-a-half million kilowatt hours of energy a year, equal to the electricity needed to light 5,000 homes, or total consumption of 900 houses.

Electricians have now replaced nearly 9,300 light-fittings and four miles of strip lighting, all part of the company’s policy of sustainable energy.

“We only buy electricity from renewable sources,” Canary Wharf Group’s Martin Gettings said. “Our aim is to make sustainability real in everything we do.”

The upgrade follows last year’s pilot project in Canada Place Mall when a mile of LED strip-lighting was installed which has reduced energy consumption by more than half.