How LED lighting can benefit your University- Graduate with a first class honours in lighting!

With recent cuts in government funding now taking effect, there has never been a more ample time for Universities to invest in LED lighting technology. Effective lighting technology can improve the quality of your environment, help meet sustainability goals and improve the well-being of your staff and students. Investing in LED lighting and control systems will bring immediate benefits including; reduced energy consumption and on-going maintenance costs.

Lighting equates to around a quarter of a University’s energy bill, this figure can be reduced by using energy efficient LED lighting and lighting management systems. Monitoring energy use across an entire University is no easy task; it is difficult to know how much energy is being consumed by each area and how to minimise this. Installing a lighting management system allows you to see and monitor lighting energy consumption within each area. Using this information, you can then consider how this consumption could be reduced, taking into account which areas are being occupied, for what, and how frequently. In areas where permanent lighting is unnecessary, presence detection sensors, timed switching, dimming and or daylight harvesting strategies could be utilised to drive down energy consumption and cost.

Some of the benefits of using energy efficient lighting are not immediately obvious; for example by ensuring lighting is only turned on when it is needed, less heat is generated and therefore less air conditioning is required. An overall reduction in lighting use means reduced energy consumption, lower emissions, smaller energy bills and a “greener” carbon footprint.

In today’s competitive environment, attractive LED lighting can help reinforce your brand image, strengthening your appeal to students, parents and business partners alike. Due to increased environmental awareness, choosing a “green University” may be an important factor for the next generation of students, there fore the lower your carbon footprint the more attractive your University will become. Likewise, business partners will be more likely to invest in research facilities or hire spaces available for corporate events if the University’s environmental policy matches that of their company.

Creating the right environment for learning is an essential goal for any University, their aim is to create spaces that are comfortable for students and lecturers which are also flexible enough to suit different tutorial needs. Using intelligent LED lighting the same space can be used for a multitude of activities; a space can be altered, literally with the flick of a switch transforming it into a completely different environment. Flexible LED lighting can be used to:

•          Project you University colours - reinforcing your brand identity
•          Give public spaces a WOW factor- making a lasting impression on students and their parents
•          Support themes and events around campus throughout the year
•          Create attractive, high-tech spaces to hire- attracting commercial interest
•          Transform a simple lecture theatre into a multimedia theatre
•          Stimulate students when energy is low by altering frequency and intensity of the lighting
•          Calm hyperactive students during lectures again, by altering the frequency and intensity of the lighting

Using LED lighting products can help transform your University environment. LED lighting is an investment which will start to repay itself the moment it is installed; that’s good news for you, good news for your budget, your staff, your students and your carbon footprint.

For more information or to begin your LED switch-over visit our website http://theledspecialist.co.uk/ or call the office to speak to one of our informed lighting specialists 0118 950 7125

SchoolVision: Philips’ Innovative Lighting System Proven to Improve Pupils’ Concentration

The SchoolVision system is specifically designed to enhance the learning environment; studies proving its benefits have been conducted all over the world. 

It is well established that lighting has a significant effect on our mood, energy levels and concentration. Using this knowledge, SchoolVision provides an outstanding learning environment that engages and stimulates or relaxes and calms. Pupils get the very best start in school with light that enhances learning, improves results and makes everyone feel at ease. 

In a single day, one classroom hosts a variety of activities ranging from; focused tasks and quiet reading time to creative pursuits and lively group work, all requiring differing levels of energy and concentration. Using the SchoolVision touch-pad teachers can support the rhythm of activity in the classroom by switching between warm light and daylight, whatever the time of day, whatever the lesson. 

Teachers are able to chose from one of four settings; Normal, Energy, Focus and Calm. The different ambiances are produced by varying the balance between light intensity and colour temperature, making each setting suitable for specific tasks or times of the day.  

The Normal setting was designed to be used during general classroom activities; light is emitted at a standard level of intensity, in a standard colour temperature. This light level is proven to help students pay attention. The very cool colour and high intensity light emitted in the Energy setting helps invigorate pupils when energy levels are lacking, this is ideal for use first thing in the morning or after lunch. The Focus setting emits light of the highest intensity in a cool colour temperature; this mood is designed to aid concentration during tests and challenging tasks. The Calm setting’s warm light temperature provides a relaxed ambiance for individual work and quiet time; it has also been proven to calm a hyperactive class!

As with all Philips products, SchoolVision adheres to relevant lighting norms and provides comfortable light with no shadows or glare. Daylight sensors dim the lights when there is enough natural daylight to create the desired ambiance and presence detectors turn off the lights when the classroom is empty. SchoolVision is also energy efficient offering savings of up to 57%.

Epsom and Ewell High School is the first school in the UK to have SchoolVision fitted. Results from this pilot study show that the SchoolVison system positively impacts pupils’ concentration levels. City University London has carried out a series of standard D2 Test Trials, in two of the High School’s Science Laboratories. These are standard psychometric tests which measure concentration. Focus group research with teachers and pupils was also carried out. 

The study has delivered the following results; one classroom saw D2 test scores increase by 17 points since the implementation of SchoolVision and the other by 40. A control group demonstrated no improvement in concentration levels over the same time frame. 

Head researcher, Dr Efrosyni Konstantinou from City University London’s Centre for Performance at Work, highlights that, more than anything, different students have different learning needs.

“On the whole, in qualitative interviews, both students and teachers noted how the lighting changes positively impacted the mood in the classroom. The benefits associated with the different SchoolVision lighting settings included better concentration, increased alertness, enhanced efficiency and a calmer mood which inidicate that the SchoolVision can be the beginning to a new way of teaching and learning for future student generations”.

The findings echo those from other research into the effects of the SchoolVision lighting system. A year long study in a primary school in Hamburg, Germany found that, with the SchoolVision lighting system, pupil reading speeds increased by 35%, frequency of errors fell by almost 45% and restlessness was reduced by 75%.

Selfridges’ State-Of-The-Art LED Lighting

A new lighting system was unveiled at Selfridges’ Project Ocean event, this campaign aimed to promote sustainable eating. To ensure its message reached an even wider audience, the luminaires were adapted to give the buildings exterior an under-the-sea effect. Although Philips' initial brief was to only provide a scheme for the external façade on Oxford Street; after seeing the benefits of the PowerCore lighting, Selfridges decided to extend the system to both Duke and Orchard Street.

Sustainability is high on Selfridges’ agenda and so any lighting solution offered to them must deliver significant energy savings. The department store hosts a range of events and projects and so requested a low maintenance, energy saving lighting solution, capable of transforming the department stores façade at the press of a button.

Philips ColorGraze

Philips ColorBlast

Philips ColorReach

Selfridges’ required a lighting system adept at producing a variety of colour and effects, using their unrivalled knowledge of LED lighting Philips opted to install three of their flagship products; ColorReach PowerCore, ColorBlast PowerCore and ColorGraze PowerCore. Selfridges’ key architectural features were highlighted by the ColorReach PowerCore lamps. Because of its compact, low profile design, the ColorGraze PowerCore LED surface linear was used. The brief detailed that architectural lighting was required for both indoor and outdoor applications and so ColorBlast PowerCore luminaires were installed. These have a wide rage of capabilities and can be positioned almost anywhere!

As a listed landmark building, Selfridges’ have strict rules in place governing what can be affixed to the exterior meaning drilling is prohibited. Working closely with Selfridges’ in-house electrical contractor, Philips overcame this obstacle by mounting the luminaires using a special resin.

If you would like more inofrmation about any of the above products visit our website http://theledspecialist.co.uk/ or call the office and speak to one of our informed sales team

Coming Soon: Philips Hue LED Lighting System

Philips’ latest lighting innovation will soon be available to purchase directly from The LED Specialist.

Hue is much more than just a lamp, it is a home LED lighting system with its very own app. Hue allows you to change the tone, contrast and colour of the lamps to create your ideal lighting mood using your smart phone or tablet.

Hue lamps can be purchased individually or as part of the Philips Hue Starter Pack. The starter pack contains three lamps and a bridge which connects the lighting system to you wireless router. Once you have screwed in the lamps and connected the bridge all that’s left to do is download the Hue app. The Hue app is available from the Apple app store, it allows you to control the lamps wherever you want, whenever you want. You can play around with the tone, contrast and colour creating a multitude of different lighting moods.

 

Hue lamps are compatible with most sockets; they use 80% less power than a traditional incandescent lamp. You can connect up to 50 Hue lamps to a single system however Philips recommends that three lamps can sufficiently illuminate a room. Each lamp delivers 600 lumens and emits all shades of white as well as a rainbow of bright colours.

Using the colour picker on your smart device, Hue can help you relive your happiest memories. Simply chose a photo and use the colour picker to select the colour you want your lamps to emit and voila!

Hue offers a range of different pre-set lighting recipes including the concentrate recipe which is designed to keep you focused and alert for longer. There is also the relax recipe, perfect for when you want to unwind after a hard day at the office, this sets light to a yellow-white  tone which has been scientifically proven to have a calming effect.

You can tune dime and control Hue from anywhere. You’ll never come home to dark empty house whilst Hue’s around, simply set the lights to come on in your preferred shade just before you return home. You can also set timers to help you gradually wake up in the mornings and set them to change with the pace of your day.

For more information about Hue or to purchase your very own starter pack call our office today 0118 950 7125