Reigate School, Surrey was ranked as ‘Outstanding’ in its most recent Ofsted inspection. It is a mixed secondary school with 1,226 pupils between the ages of 11 and 16. The school were seeing the energy savings from their recently installed solar PV system and wanted to further their energy savings through the installation of energy efficient LED lighting.

The Brief

Reigate’s light fittings were incredibly old and the light quality across the majority of the school was poor. The light fittings were at the end of their product lifecycle and maintenance costs were set to increase dramatically.

Reigate wanted to upgrade their existing lighting to deliver an improved light quality and reduce their expenditure through lower energy bills and maintenance costs.

Reigate wanted to use Government finance available to public sector bodies for energy efficiency projects so that it wouldn’t cost them anything to deliver the project.

THE SOLUTION

INECO Energy were selected through a competitive tender ran by Reigate School and Surrey County Council.. INECO were selected due to their impressive schools track record and expertise in designing a solution which delivered the best energy and financial savings.

INECO Energy assisted Reigate School through all stages in the project, including successful application for Government finance. INECO’s “Design for efficiency” methodology and full service solution delivered the following benefits for Reigate:

• Improved light quality to CIBSE guidelines, enhancing the learning environment for pupils and staff
• 75% reduction in electrical lighting load
• £25,994 year 1 electrical energy saving
• £597,862 lifetime energy savings
• 2,118 tonnes of lifetime carbon reduction

The project was completed in 12 days during term time. INECO’s installation teams worked during the evenings, removing 924 fittings and installing 900 new fittings in new positions. Detailed programme planning identified set rooms for installation each night. These rooms were installed tested, commissioned and cleaned ready for the next morning’s classes. The gyms and sports halls were delivered first to ensure the new improved lighting was ready for Reigate’s exam timetable.

“The improvement in light quality around the school is fantastic. The sport hall is twice as bright with half the amount of lights, it’s amazing. We’re very pleased that the sports halls were done first so that the kids had much better light for sitting their exams” Site Manager, Reigate School

WHY DEXTRA LIGHTING WERE CHOSEN

INECO Energy selected Dextra Lighting because of their product quality and range. Dextra products selected emit a great light quality, are extremely energy efficient and are specifically designed for use within the school environment. The Dextra products are manufactured in the UK by a workforce of over 550 staff helping UK employment and keeping the supply chain local reduces the inherent carbon footprint.

Dextra Lighting worked with INECO Energy and the school to ensure product deliveries were outside of school hours to remove disruption to the school. Old lighting and waste was collected by Dextra and recycled under an approved Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) scheme.

Prosports – the three school gyms required a product which delivered a high-quality light output for playing competitive sports and when used as exam halls. The Prosports are also rated to IK10 and are therefore protected against accidental strikes from balls during sports.
Graduates – aesthetically pleasing for the classroom to provide even light distribution and illuminate the walls whilst reducing the glare from fittings.
EPK’s – high efficient products for the corridor
Hydra’s – robust fittings for the Hall to minimise damage from accidental strikes and provide good quality lighting
AMC’s – high efficiency bulkhead fitting for cupboards and storerooms

The Focus was to replace the old lighting which was nearing the end of its lifecycle and improve the light quality in the learning environment. The school were equally keen to reduce their energy bills, carbon footprint and ongoing maintenance costs.

“It is sometime difficult dealing with large projects during term time but this went incredibly smoothly. Definitely some of the tidiest contractors that we have ever had!”
Bursar, Reigate School.

“The improvement in light quality around the school is fantastic. The sport hall is twice as bright with half the amount of lights, it’s amazing. We’re very pleased that the sports halls were done first so that the kids had much better light for sitting their exams”
Site Manager, Reigate School.