Whitecroft Lighting enhances energy efficiency across DWP estate

Whitecroft Lighting has successfully delivered a major smart lighting upgrade for the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), dramatically reducing energy consumption across its UK-wide estate.

The project has delivered unprecedented efficiencies for the government department, the largest of its kind in the country, reducing lighting energy consumption by around 80 percent across 129 modernised sites.

In partnership with leading facilities management provider, Mitie, Whitecroft Lighting replaced outdated lighting systems with modern LED luminaires and smart building technology.

This provided a more energy-efficient, sustainable solution that enhances workplace comfort, and delivers long-term carbon savings for the DWP.

Whitecroft’s intelligent, sensor-driven lighting system, Organic Response, was central to the project’s success. Its exclusive daylight harvesting system automatically adjusts lighting levels based on natural light availability.

By intelligently monitoring lighting levels, organic response maximises the value of natural light and drives up carbon and cost efficiency.

Whitecroft’s systems play an important role in the DWP’s ambitious 45 percent carbon reduction target, aligning with the UK government’s wider Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, aimed at helping the public sector drive efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

With over 54,300 individual lighting products installed, such as luminaires, seniors and nodes, the DWP upgrade is one of the biggest projects in its 80-year history.

All 129 sites were completed within just a two-year time frame, and to minimise disruption to DWP staff and visitors, Whitecroft was assigned specific timeslots for out-of-hours installation. Its pre-engineered, plug-and-play solutions were then selected to ensure a fast and efficient installation process.

Mark Brunt, Regional Sales Manager at Whitecroft Lighting, said: “When Mitie approached us, we knew we had to deliver a solution that made a real impact on the DWP’s carbon reduction targets. Swapping thousands of outdated lights for LEDs instantly cut energy use by 50 percent, and with Organic Response, we pushed efficiency even further, achieving up to 80 percent savings.

We also future-proofed the DWP estate lighting, ensuring it’s ready for the next generation of smart building upgrades and can quickly integrate cloud-based technology, heat mapping, and other smart asset management controls.

This project has been a great opportunity to show how cutting-edge lighting technology can drive real efficiency in the public sector and support the government’s push for smarter, more sustainable buildings.”

Mitie’s FMs highlighted how smart-ready buildings have transformed facilities management for the DWP, providing real-time insights that enable smarter, data-driven decisions to reduce waste and enhance efficiency.