Sainsbury's new store in Leek, Staffordshire will feature an LED lighting system that promises to slash energy use by almost 60%.

The company said that it has become the first supermarket in the world to install GE's new Lumination Linear Suspended lighting system, which not only takes advantage of highly efficient LEDs but also includes daylight sensors to optimise the use of natural daylight.

According to Sainsbury's, the new lighting will cut energy use by 59 per cent compared to conventional in-store lighting, delivering annual energy savings equivalent to that required to make 10 million cups of tea.

The rollout is also expected to reduce maintenance costs and improve the shopping experience for customers by ensuring a uniform level of light across the store.

The in-store lights are just one of a raft of green features deployed in the store as part of the company's high profile 20x20 sustainability programme, which last year saw Sainsbury's pledge to invest £1bn in green technology in an effort to reduce operational carbon emissions 30 per cent by 2020.

The Leek store also features a biomass boiler fuelled by sustainably certified wood pellets, rainwater harvesting and water efficiency measures designed to cut water use by 45 per cent compared to a store built in 2005, natural refrigeration systems, a commitment to send zero waste to landfill, and external LED lighting systems from GE for the car park and petrol station that are designed to deliver energy savings of 55 per cent.