E.ON and Projection Lighting have worked with Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall to replace its auditorium lighting with an LED system.?
The solution, which was installed by DES Electrical, saw more than 500 incandescent light fittings taken out and replaced with LED alternatives. According to E.ON, the retrofit will save the concert hall £16,0001 a year in energy bills and maintenance costs while maintaining a suitable quality of light for the venue that can be controlled and dimmed to blackout.
Previously, more than 700 filament lamps had to be replaced each year because of the effect of noise vibration from concerts in the auditorium.
Rupert Butt, performance engineering manager at E.ON Connecting Energies, said: "This is an important project for us and the Royal Concert Hall – and indeed similar entertainment venues across the UK. Until recently it was widely believed LED lighting could not give the type of light and the control needed for theatre performances, meaning concert halls and venues were missing out on potential energy efficiency measures and cost savings.
"The concern around the phasing out of traditional bulbs has been particularly strong in theatrical venues so we are delighted to be one of the first energy companies to successfully implement a system such as this, giving substantial help on energy costs without compromising the quality of the performance."
Dave Guy, technical director at the Nottingham Concert Hall, added: "We worked with E.ON to reach a solution to maintain warm, incandescent light that is crucial for stage productions where atmosphere is paramount. The infrastructure allows the existing lighting locations and control systems to be retained but now provides a control mechanism to dim down to 0.25 per cent, which is more efficient and necessary for the diverse aesthetics required for the different staging productions we put on here at the concert hall."
Nottingham Royal Concert Hall is one of nine public buildings undergoing energy efficiency improvements with E.ON as part of the RE:FIT framework partnership with Nottingham City Council. Under the agreement E.ON is investing £1.2m to deliver a guaranteed 26 per cent energy saving across buildings including leisure centres, care homes and a sports stadium.
Energy conservation measures being installed by E.ON at the Royal Concert Hall and eight other public buildings in Nottingham include upgrades to the Air Handling Equipment and Building Management Systems that will generate further energy and carbon savings.
1Based on 192,000 kWh reduction in energy consumption at an average electricity price of 8.43p/kWh
