Oregon’s Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) has upgraded the lighting system in its Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall with 36 ETC Selador Classic Vivid-R LED luminaires. And by installing the fixtures, the venue expanded its colour capabilities, reduced its energy usage and earned cash incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon to put toward the fixtures’ purchase. Energy Trust offers cash incentives to commercial, municipal and institutional businesses that upgrade dated equipment to energy-efficient technology. To qualify for the incentives, one requirement is that a new lighting installation must result in at least a 25% energy saving. The Concert Hall’s aging battens were demanding an increasingly high level of maintenance. Appropriate light bulbs are no longer being manufactured, and the cost of upkeep kept mounting, so they were replaced with Vivid-R luminaires. While the battens had multiple 27A circuits per colour, Selador uses only 3A and produce an unmatched range of colours. Says house electrician Justin Dunlap: “I would predict that we’ll see an 85-95% consumption drop in power usage from the onstage fixtures, not counting the front of house lighting. Seladors have also taken over the PAR rig work, so all the areas that were previously PAR lit are now also lit with Selador.” The theatre has 288 control channels dedicated to the Selador system. “I like the idea of having so many colours possible without having to have more fixtures,” adds Dunlap. “I basically built a grid on stage and can block it out for different lighting looks. I can use Selador as a wash for one big colour on stage, or I can pull them apart and light a violin as blue, white, amber, etc.” Photo: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall © Jim Lykins www.etcconnect.com
