Somar International Ltd was announced winner of “Green Innovation in Construction Products Award” for Powerboss Eluma at the inaugural Construction News Green Awards at the Hurlingham Club, London last week.

In his presentation speech, Tim Smit of the Eden Project said “the judges commented on the efficiency and sophistication of their product, and their innovative approach to significantly reducing energy consumption.”

With buildings accounting for 50% of the UK’s energy consumption, and the construction sector producing more waste than any other, the time has come for the industry to make a dramatic change. Government targets to cut carbon emissions, reduce energy use, and improve resource efficiency are putting pressure on all links of the supply chain; but it’s not just about compliance. It is becoming increasingly clear that green building practices make business sense.

Powerboss Eluma is an innovative patented technology, which out performs other solutions and typically saves 60% to 80% of lighting costs in an industrial or warehouse scenario.

Winners of other awards at the ceremony included Sir Robert MacAlpine (Green Contractor of the Year), King Shaw Associates (Green Building of the Year), Morris (Green House Building of the Year) and Cementation Foundations Skanska (Green Subcontractor of the Year).

• View the Green Construction Awards

Somar International Ltd has been awarded the United Kingdom Warehouse Association 2007 Technology and Innovation of the Year Award sponsored by Redirack, for its Powerboss Eluma intelligent lighting solution.

The warehouse and supply chain sector is a high cost/low margin industry where market pressures require businesses to continually assess their operating practices and increasingly, their resultant environmental impact.

Electrical energy costs are a principle overhead; few businesses recognise that warehouse lighting typically accounts for between 50% and 75% of those electrical costs. In certain cases high-bay lighting accounts for 95% of the electrical costs of a storage/logistics facility.

• Read full lighting award article

Much of the recent Government, media and public attention on environmental issues relating to greenhouse gas emissions has been in the areas of commercial air travel and vehicle emissions.

CO₂ emissions from commercial air travel are currently less than of 5% of total UK levels. Fears are that emissions from air travel will increase dramatically in the next 30 years. This is an important matter, however UK industry already accounts for 55% of the current emissions! Although the ability to make changes in industrial policy does not directly lie with every member of the UK population in the same way as car and air travel choices do, the policy decisions in the hands of company executives could effect a major change if there was real decisiveness and less high profile “green washing”.

• Read full carbon emissions article