Lincolnshire Herbs
Lincolnshire Herbs boosts plant growth and reduces energy use by 25% with high-efficiency LED
Case study
SaveMoneyCutCarbon applied for and secured £500,000 in grant funding to support the costs of this unique and large-scale LED lighting solution.
The project led to a 25% reduction in energy use, while providing twice the light energy and increased yields in the herbs.
The upgrade also reduced carbon emissions by 270 tonnes a year, and saved annual costs of £290,000, and the payback period for this project is 6 years.
The Client
Lincolnshire Herbs is one of the largest growers of fresh cut and living pot herbs in the UK, supplying UK Supermarkets, other retail outlets, food service brands, wholesale markets and manufacturing.
It is part of a privately owned European group of companies specialising in the growing, packing and distribution of fresh herbs. The Spisa Group is the largest grower and supplier of fresh and living herbs, supplying retail and food service markets across Europe.
Lincolnshire Herbs is committed to reducing its impact on the environment, ensuring the sustainability of the growing process and operations, partnering with leading supermarket brands to reduce plastics usage. The company is always looking for new ways to innovate, and recently installed a pioneering heating system, cutting carbon emissions by 50%, as part of its long-term carbon-reduction plan.
The Brief
Lincolnshire Herbs is one of the largest growers of fresh cut and living pot herbs in the UK, supplying UK Supermarkets, other retail outlets, food service brands, wholesale markets and manufacturing.
It is part of a privately owned European group of companies specialising in the growing, packing and distribution of fresh herbs. The Spisa Group is the largest grower and supplier of fresh and living herbs, supplying retail and food service markets across Europe.
Lincolnshire Herbs is committed to reducing its impact on the environment, ensuring the sustainability of the growing process and operations, partnering with leading supermarket brands to reduce plastics usage. The company is always looking for new ways to innovate, and recently installed a pioneering heating system, cutting carbon emissions by 50%, as part of its long-term carbon-reduction plan.
The Solution
The new LED lamps installed by SaveMoneyCutCarbon’s Demand Reduction team provide twice the amount of light energy compared to the HPS Lamps whilst reducing energy consumption by 25%, resulting in energy savings and increased yield.
SaveMoneyCutCarbon tendered the performance specification in order to select the most effective manufacturer and worked with the Spisa Group plant scientists to establish the optimum specification – average Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD), spectral density, and other metrics based on the client’s crop.
The optimal target was finalised through relevant case study reviews, then developing a number of design iterations simulating various light products and layouts.
A key element throughout was the focus on balancing energy savings to ensure that the business case for investment in the new lighting remained compelling.
Grant Funding
SaveMoneyCutCarbon fully supported and guided Lincolnshire Herbs through the highly technical RPA grant application process to gain funding for the LED lighting project. The grant provides around 30% of total project value and is paid in phases.
This project was completed in September 2023.
Annual Energy savings of £935,452 kWh
Savings of £290,000 per annum