Tools and equipment hire and services provider Speedy has invested £2.8 million in new zero and low-emission lighting towers to help contractors boost sustainability and cut fuel costs.

Using 25 zero-emission, solar-powered lights on site would see contractors cut their carbon output by 184 tonnes - equivalent to 80 family cars - over a six-month period and save more than £50,000 in fuel costs when compared with traditional, diesel-fuelled models.

Speedy has invested in 300 solar-powered products together with 800 VB9 LED+ units, which can reduce carbon emissions and fuel costs by 70 per cent. The business now has a fleet of 3,500 lighting towers, which is supplemented by 16,500 general lights.

The business has seen demand for its lighting products increase by almost a third (30 per cent) following the end of British Summer Time (BST) on the 27th October, with demand for lighting towers up by 59 per cent.

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Julian Perrott, group asset management director at Speedy, said: "The hire industry has a vital role to play to ensure contractors can access the low-carbon equipment they need to reduce their footprints and support safe and compliant working.

"Solar lighting will become the norm on construction sites across the UK as more businesses pledge to meet the government's zero-carbon target. But it will also be key in helping customers position themselves to meet the increasingly stringent sustainability requirements of public and private sector tenders.

"We're focused on continuing our investment to ensure we can meet this rising demand and ensure we can provide our customers with the services they need at the click of a button through our digital capability."

The figures follow the launch of the company's new environmental and social responsibility initiative, ENERGISE. The programme has been designed to enable the business to enhance its sustainability credentials, which includes meeting the Stage V engine emissions standard target across its vehicle fleet and expanding the range of sustainable products the business can offer customers.

Watch Russell Down, CEO at Speedy, speak about the firm's range of low and zero-carbon products on Sky News.

For more information on Speedy's lighting fleet, go to speedyservices.com/winter.

(MH)