King's College London cuts energy with Steinel lighting

24 June 2013

Higher Education Institution King's College London slashed its lighting energy use in its halls of residence by nearly 90% as a result of a project to install RS PRO 500 and HF 3360 sensor-controlled indoor lighting from Steinel.

Prior to the installation of Steinel technology, the lighting energy consumption within the halls of residence was 72,533 kWh. Following the project, the energy consumption was slashed to just 9,040 kWh - an 87% reduction.

In real terms, the College is saving £6,349 every year on its electricity bills. What's more, it is saving 34.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. With an expected payback period of just five years, it's fair to say the project has been a success. These savings will help King's fund future carbon reduction projects, keeping the College at the forefront of good environmental stewardship.

King's has a history of commitment to carbon reduction. Many landmark projects have helped promote the College into the vanguard of environmentally proactive education facilities. In fact, it was one of the first colleges to receive the EN 16001. Over the past few years, the pressure to cut carbon has only increased, with the new burden of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC).

In order to further drive down emissions and meet its CRC obligations, King's energy & environment manager Keith McIntyre decided to look carefully at areas of ongoing energy waste. The College's halls of residence, where lights were habitually left on in the corridors, became a prime target.

At the Great Dover Street Halls of Residence, 769 en-suite single bedrooms are located in 113 apartments served by a network of totally enclosed corridors, which provide no natural light. Lights were often left on around the clock.

One major challenge at universities and colleges is behavioural change, especially considering the turnover of students in residence is so rapid. No sooner has one cohort absorbed the thinking than they've been replaced by a new intake. The answer was to use 'intelligent' lighting.

"We had quite a demanding specification," says McIntyre. "We wanted a light with an integral control system, as well as energy savings. Initially I couldn't see anything on the market suitable, but then I saw the Steinel RS PRO 500 high-frequency sensor light at an exhibition - it was just being launched and it struck me there was nothing else like it."

In 2009, the College carried out a trial of the Steinel RS PROs, installing 200 sensor-lights within the corridors of one six-storey building. "The RS PRO 500 has totally solved our problem," says McIntyre. "The students have some low level background lighting (from the 3w LED module) with the main low energy lamps (2x13W) activating as soon as someone enters the corridor. Further lamps activate as the person moves along the passage. The lamps remain on for 15 minutes before switching off automatically."

Each Steinel RS PRO 500 features state-of-the-art high-frequency sensors that guarantee detection accuracy in 360°, at a distance of up to 8m. The sensors do their work regardless of ambient temperature or direction of movement. They provide switching performance that's virtually instant and are integrated more or less out-of-sight.