Largescale lighting project saves council more than £300k in annual energy bills

Aberdeen City Council celebrates ambitious lighting project at historic HQ Marischal College

Located in North East Scotland bordering the North Sea, the city of Aberdeen has been a hub for the offshore oil industry for many years.

Despite this long and embedded history with fossil fuels, more than 260,000 residents who call Aberdeen home are interested and passionate about playing their part in our fight against the climate crisis.

Aberdeen City Council supports these residents and is working towards a net zero target of 2045. Driven by a net zero strategy and route map, the council hopes to pave the way to net zero through reducing its own emissions and is heavily focused on looking at carbon emissions of its own buildings. 

The route map, called ‘net zero Aberdeen’, has received recognition as one of the best long-term plans for tackling climate change in the UK, winning ‘excellence in plan making practice’ at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence (UK) in November 2023.

Constructed in the mid-19th century in gothic revival style, the council headquarters Marischal College is a renowned building in the centre of the city. The Broad Street building is intertwined with the city’s history home to the council offices in 2011.

However, energy audits identified it is one of the largest energy consumers across the council estate. A portion of this high consumption was noted to be caused by dated lighting infrastructure. 

The project sought to replace and upgrade lighting throughout Marischal College, taking a single measure approach to install LEDs.

To support the £2.7 million project, the council was able to secure £2.02 million in loan-based funding through the Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme. Our Salix teams deliver this funding on behalf of the Scottish Government. 

Now complete, staff note the upgrades have made the building lighter and brighter and are saving a significant sum, estimated at £308,234 a year, on their energy bills. 

Looking ahead, the council aims to continue to implement works identified in its award-winning route map, with imminent plans to upgrade lighting at Hanover Street Primary School. The school is experiencing similar issues to what it had seen with Marischal College, meaning experiences and lessons can be taken forward and applied to forthcoming works at this location. 

Zoe Hurst, our programme coordinator who supported the council with this project, said: “The project at Marischal College is possibly one of the largest single-measure projects we have funded through the scheme.

“A massive congratulations to Sara, Ian and the teams for their continued dedication and prioritisation of these important projects. I look forward to continuing to work with you and seeing what you are able to achieve next.”

About the Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme (SEELS)

The Scottish SEELS programme offers zero-interest loans to the public sector to enable them to undertake energy efficiency improvement projects that help them incur financial and carbon savings that work towards achieving net zero carbon in their estates.