Introduction
EESI has a long-standing working relationship with a local college that has lasted for more than 20 years. We provide a number of electrical and Fire alarm services for this client, as well as regular maintenance and callouts.
Project
We were asked to initially investigate a new power supply for a commercial kitchen oven in the Dining hall kitchens, however on investigation it was found that the building incoming supply was not sufficient for this new load when the kitchen was in full use and the Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) pitch flood lighting was being used. Further investigations found that the existing flood lighting was a large drain on this limited power supply
During discussions with the college it was found that a solution to this would be to look at replacing the existing flood lighting with more energy efficient LED flood lighting, therefore possibly releasing the required additional load of the new oven required in the kitchens.
The project now included designing and installing external LED flood lighting solutions. We contacted Exled Ltd, our local LED lighting specialist, they carried out a night time survey of the exiting flood lighting to establish the lighting levels and then offered several alternative solutions.
Challenges
The 1st challenge was to be able to achieve the same level of lighting output on the sports pitch as the existing lighting whilst reducing the overall power consumption, the existing lighting consists of 3 no. 2KW discharge light fittings per mask with 8 masts. Providing 203lux average at 0.5 uniformity
The 8 no. 15-meter masts used to mount the light fittings housed the lighting control gear in their base which had a restricted space for the new LED driver control gear. We had to come up with a solution to mount the new LED drivers in the mast or provide additional external enclosures and therefore increasing the installation cost by some margin. After some consultation with Exled and some design work we found that if we mounted the LED drivers on a new “L” shaped bracket along the length of the existing mounting plate then the 6 drivers required for each mast would fit inside the available space in the base of the masts.
Solution
We liaised with the client to ensure the lighting met their specifications. We were then able to match the lux levels across the pitch by using 2 no. 1KW LED flood lights supplied by Exled based on their designs. Providing 232 lux @ 0.72 uniformity
Strong project management has been essential throughout this project. We’ve had to work with the client as well as the other contractors on the site to ensure a smooth changeover of systems with as little disruption to day-to-day activities as possible. We handled everything, from the building side, to the design and installation.
Outcome
The Muga pitch is now illuminated using state of the art LED technology with zero upward light spill and limited light spill outside of the intended areas, LED lighting provided a whiter light and improves the appearance to the artificial surface used on this MUGA pitch whilst at the same time reducing the load on the electrical supply by a third.
To find out how EESI could help with your next project or with regular electrical and mechanical maintenance, call us today on 01453 821 550 or email info@eesi.co.uk.