Town Market Sees Cost Saving Lights Introduced

The installation of energy saving lights has been completed at Harborough Market which will lead to cost savings of over £11,000 a year. 

Harborough District Council has introduced the environmentally-friendly LED lights at its market building in Northampton Road, Market Harborough. 

The project, which will cost approximately £40,000, has been made possible thanks to the Department of Energy and Climate Change funded organisation Salix which provides local authorities with interest-free loans to improve energy efficiency. 

In August, Harborough Market saw the introduction of solar panels on its roof to reduce energy costs. This latest installation will save the council more than £11,000 a year, resulting in a loan pay-back period of just four years. 

Cllr Phil King, portfolio holder for strategic asset management, said: “It is fantastic that we’ve been able to install these energy saving lights at no cost to the council. This, on top of the installation of the solar panels on the market roof earlier this year, means not only is this building now more environmentally-friendly by reducing its carbon emissions, it is also saving the taxpayer money and will ultimately generate income for the council via the ‘feed in tariff’ scheme where electricity can be sold back to energy suppliers.” 

The lights installation did not affect market days and was completed by the end of November 2015.

Harborough Market operators, Market Place, welcomed the works. Market Place and Harborough Market Manager, Sairah Butt said, “Following on from the installation of the solar panels on the market roof, it is great to see the council’s continued commitment to both the environment and to making the market financially sustainable. The market looks brighter and it has made a real difference to stallholders.”

Harborough Market is open 8am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday and 9am to 3pm for the popular antiques market on Sunday.