Gillingham School “delighted” with Dorset council’s reinvestment in LED lighting for sports hall refurbishment.
Dextra Lighting continue to create opportunities for the educational sector to drastically increase their energy efficiency by combining state-of-the-art LED products with the unrivalled flexibility and delivery time of their bespoke lighting service.
As part of an ongoing programme to refurbish its educational estate, Dorset County Council has made continuous investments towards elevating the standard of learning environments in public schools. Under the advisory of Dorset Property, the council’s primary aim has been to ensure the viability and service effectiveness of its properties, often focussing on installing green technologies such as LED lighting and photovoltaic panels, to improve the energy efficiency and environmental sustainability of school buildings.
Gillingham school was one of the establishments included in the initiative. Having previously worked with the school in a hugely successful LED lighting upgrade in their main assembly hall, Dextra Group were the first to be invited by Dorset Property to embark on the sports hall renovation project, in partnership with framework contractors; Wessex Electricals.
Armed with considerable experience in providing lighting solutions for schools and universities nationwide, the Group could not be more prepared for the task. Beyond their impressively wide range of energy efficient LED products, some of which are specifically designed for sports facilities, Dextra Group companies regularly engineer bespoke lighting solutions for a diverse range of applications and design briefs, making full use of their in-house design and testing labs and cutting-edge manufacturing equipment.
The school takes great pride in its excellent sporting reputation. Having been awarded “Sportsmark Gold” and a “National Sport England” award, the sports hall has been a vital asset, allowing young sportsmen and women to reach their full potential. The Dextra Lighting team met the same high standards in service; designing, manufacturing and delivering bespoke LED luminaires that would significantly improve the quality of lighting, creating a more stimulating sports environment for pupils to enjoy, whilst guaranteeing long-term financial returns. The results would lift the economic burden of meeting the current CRC legal requirements and increase the building’s overall efficiency.
THE BRIEF
The brief for the sports hall presented a variety of design, manufacturing and installation challenges. Firstly, a one-for-one replacement for the former 400W metal halide high-bays had to be performed by gaining access behind a giant translucent sail cloth, through a network of purpose-built maintenance gantries which hung 10m above the gym floor.
Secondly, the overall electrical load had to be drastically reduced as the original system was frequently overheating. Since the lighting was linked to the gym’s air conditioning and central heating via the Trend BMS system, the heat emitted triggered the extractor fans on a daily basis, resulting in further, yet avoidable, energy costs.
Finally, the team had to eliminate the notably long delays experienced by the client when switching between the 3 pre-set scenes (1. Low-level cleaning light, 2. Sports Mode 3. Exam Mode). This was caused by slow warm up and cool down cycles when switching between modes.
Enter the SkyLight 34500
Dextra Lighting proposed a bespoke lighting solution using the popular SkyLight LED 34500 luminaire. It is among the most advanced, energy efficient, high level LED luminaires in its class. Equipped with the latest diffuser optics, this product offers customers an aesthetically pleasing energy efficient LED alternative to traditional high level T5/HID lighting. It is available in a wide range of outputs up to 34,500 lumens which made it suitable for the multiple light level system.
The design team added unique modifications to the product to suit the customers infrastructure, cabling and suspension points to minimise installation costs. By Easter 2014 the team supplied a complete sample for Wessex Electricals to install which included:
- Bespoke mounting brackets with special hook system.
- Addition of customised Metway plug, special leads and Canalis connectors to plug into existing trunking system.
- 1 – 10v Trend compatible dimming control system gear.
The modified SkyLight LED 34500 eliminated all the inefficiencies typical of metal halide technology. In addition to the intrinsic advantages of LED for long life and low maintenance, the new system provided:
- Near instant switching between modes.
- Superior quality of light
- Significant reduction in maintenance since installation in summer of 2014 – No more weekly replacement of fragile lamps or ballasts during term times.
- 35% reduction in lighting load.
- Reduced roof temperature – fans have not been triggered since installation.
These factors combine to maximise energy savings and provide the school with rapid payback for their investment. All installation work was completed promptly and smoothly within the 6 week holiday without interrupting the pupils’ access to the facilities. It comes as no surprise that Gillingham School and Dorset County Council are now “delighted” with the results.
