Leisure centre’s ‘green’ light for energy savings

Posted on 22. Aug, 2008 by admin in Eluma, Energy News

A Derbyshire leisure centre has got its electricity bill and Carbon Footprint in trim after equipping its sports hall with a state-of-the-art, energy saving lighting system.

Dim, traditional florescent lamps at Green Bank Leisure Centre, Swadlincote, left some badminton, five-a-side and basketball players struggling to see court markings.

But members of the South Derbyshire District Council facility are no longer in the dark thanks to new Eluma technology from eco-light specialists Somar.

Not only have luminosity levels increased significantly, but the energy-efficient system has also cut the centre’s lighting bills by 75% and, in environmental terms, carbon output by 16.7 tonnes per year. That’s the equivalent of 10 family cars each driving 14,000km over a 12-month period!

South Derbyshire’s Public Buildings Officer Stuart Manning, said: “I think many people fear that ‘going green’ is expensive, but the Eluma lights have enabled us to drastically reduce both our energy consumption and carbon footprint.

“Users have commented on the improved brightness and we’ve since witnessed a lot of extra sports hall bookings since installing the system. There’s certainly no more controversy over whether shuttle cocks land in or out as the lines are perfectly visible!”

The centre’s main hall was previously lit by 60 fluorescent lights, with a combined connected load of 8,840 watts, but were replaced with just 20 Eluma lights with a cumulative total of just 4,400 watts.

Such energy savings are possible as a result of Eluma’s special reflector, which boasts 95 per cent reflectance, and its intelligent sensor system that dims or switches off lights when areas are unoccupied and also decreases output according to natural light levels.

Mr Manning added: “The occupancy sensor is particularly valuable: it means our lights switch off automatically when the hall is empty or, as they work independently, certain lights are dimmed if one or more of our courts aren’t being used.”

The overall cost of the Green Bank lighting project was £8,000 fully installed; that sum will be recouped by SDDC in electricity bill savings alone in just over two years.

David Bone, Managing Director at Eluma manufacturer Somar, added: “The system is ideally suited to leisure centres, swimming pools and other public buildings where lights are placed at heights of between five and 16 metres. Eluma affords linear, ‘clean’ light distribution, no glare and, as lights are guaranteed to last at least three years, they’re almost maintenance-free.”

For more details, please contact Brigg Ford at Energy PR on 01993 823011 or email brigg@energypr.co.uk