Oxford Brookes University is set to save a predicted £46,000 a year off the energy bills following the installation of lighting control systems by Honeywell company, Ex-Or. Ex-Or installed its LightSpot equipment throughout nine teaching buildings and administration buildings in a variety of locations, ranging from squash courts to laboratories. Ex-Or LightSpot was also installed in all the communal areas at Warneford and Crescent Hall student apartment blocks, including kitchens, corridors, stairwells and entrance areas. Before the installation, many lights in the buildings remained on constantly, even though lighting was not required. Total savings of 385,000 kWh per year and 203 tonnes of CO2 per year are anticipated by Oxford Brookes University as a direct result of the Ex-Or installations. Ex-Or’s LightSpot lighting control solution comprises discrete ultrasonic detectors which instantaneously switch the lights on when an occupant is about to enter the monitored area. When lighting is no longer required, the detectors automatically switch off the lights. In addition, the detectors incorporate daylight sensors which automatically prevent the lights switching on when levels of natural light are sufficiently high. A benefit of Ex-Or LightSpot is its ability to deliver energy savings in almost any environment. In the nine teaching and administration buildings, which are a mixture of historic academic buildings, and others built in the 1980s, 1990s and in recent years, more than 700 LightSpot detectors were installed. These are eliminating unnecessary use of lighting in a large number of open plan and cellular office spaces, laboratories, gym facilities including a sports hall, squash courts, teaching rooms, arts centre and music rooms. Said Oxford Brookes’ carbon reduction manager Gavin Hodgson: “The installation of Ex-Or equipment has made a dramatic contribution to the university’s carbon reduction programme. Our low carbon transition plan, which is supported by the Carbon Trust, sets out how we can achieve our objective of reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2020. Eliminating the use of lighting when it is not needed is one of the biggest components in our low carbon transition plan because it delivers such a dramatic reduction in CO2. “One of the benefits of choosing LightSpot from Ex-Or is its ability to deliver energy savings in a wide variety of building types which are used for an extensive range of activities.” www.ex-or.com
