At Greenlite, we've long championed the value of LED retail lighting, and report after report is vindicating our knowledge.

The latest, by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), explains lighting is the highest source of energy use for the retail industry and represents a clear opportunity in delivering energy efficiency in retail businesses.

'Switching to LED lighting typically delivers an energy cost saving of 20% to 40% while also significantly reducing business carbon emissions,' it reveals.

BRC's document says its members have been investing in LED technology as a key part of their overall energy and carbon management strategy. This is tremendous news, and lends validity to the truth; retailers up and down the country are taking on the carbon reduction challenge through lighting.

BRC's analysis in detail

Since 2005, BRC members have reduced carbon emissions from stores by 35% relative to growth. This figure is set to rise as retailers take on tomorrow's challenges. To help them do so, BRC has set some impressive new targets on operations and estate-wide energy efficiency.

BRC's retail targets are:

• Reduce our absolute carbon emissions from retail operations by 25 per cent by 2020 based on2005 levels
• Cut energy-related emissions from buildings by 50 per cent by 2020, accounting for growth, compared with 2005 levels
• Reduce emissions from refrigeration gases by 80 per cent by 2020, relative to floor space
• Reduce energy-related emissions from store deliveries by 45 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels

Energy efficient shop lighting is crucial

Andy Bolitho, energy property and transport advisor at BRC, told Business Green lighting will play a key role in these goals:

“I think the progress on energy is really encouraging, particularly when you look at it from a growth perspective. There's been quite considerable growth in the retail industry and managing down that energy consumption in carbon has been quite a difficult task,” he said.

According to Bolitho, LED lighting systems have played a big role in improving the energy efficiency of many retailers' operations. “The industry is extremely geared up for changing over to LED,” he said, citing a BRC poll of members which indicates around 80 per cent plan to be completely switch over to LED technology by 2020.

Adding to these positives, the Business Green commentary also talks about the energy efficiency tax review, just promised to take place later this year by George Osborne in Budget 2016.

This coming certainty in the policy landscape would help BRC retailers make more informed and better supported energy efficiency investment decisions, adding to the ease of going LED.

But in the meantime, BRC retailers should bear in mind that the benefits of LED go way beyond complying with regulation; they have a demonstrable, positive impact on a company’s bottom line.

“LEDs are a proven way to massively boost the overall carbon credentials of retailers and save money,” says Bob Hall, Managing Director of Greenlite. “With a new energy efficiency tax, there will even more financial clarity to complete the overall transition of the sector as a whole to energy efficient lights.”