CP Electronics has supplied dimming controls and microwave sensors for the new extension to Arthur Mellows Village College in Peterborough. Throughout the building, a key criteria for the lighting was that it should be energy efficient whilst providing a comfortable and pleasant working environment for students and staff alike.
One of the last remaining village colleges in the country, Arthur Mellows Village College is a popular, over-subscribed comprehensive community school for secondary school students, with a student population of approximately 1400. It is named after Arthur Holditch Mellows, former mayor of Peterborough, and was built in 1949. The college has recently benefited from an £8.4 million grant to build new buildings and carry out extensive refurbishment. This programme of refurbishment has most recently provided an up-to-date Sixth Form, library, information technology and administration areas.
Specialist electrical contractors T Clarke (Midlands) worked closely with CP Electronics, to deliver a good design solution based on their experience within the education market that would meet the needs of each space. Vitesse Plus Marshalling Boxes from CP were chosen for the classrooms and refectory to operate in conjunction with Ridi Lighting’s stylish F-LINE low profile luminaires with T5 80W fluorescent lamps which provide a broad, even distribution. CP’s MWS3 and MWS1 microwave detectors have been installed in the corridors and toilets.
Vitesse Plus marshalling boxes from CP offer many advantages, including multi-channel switching for the control of up to three rooms, PIR and switch control, dimming options and daylight linking. Presence management has also been included in the scheme to allow the switching on and off of the luminaries, whether or not, someone is in the room. The system also provides daylight linking on the seats closest to windows so that illumination can be reduced in those areas when sufficient natural daylight is available.
With a detection range of up to 30 metres, the MWS-1 microwave sensor is an unobtrusive, self contained unit with an adjustable time delay. The MWS-3 Multi-Sense offers a unique presence/absence detection capability by using an adjustable sensor head, the angle of which can be changed for different detection patterns and area coverage.
For Arthur Mellows Village College, CP Electronics has provided a versatile system that can easily be reconfigured to suit the user. The lights turn off when not in use, providing substantial energy savings and longer lamp life is achieved due to the shorter burning times which, in turn, reduces maintenance costs and adds to the financial savings. Gary Edwards, contracts engineer with T Clarke, commented: “We looked at many different products for this project but CP Electronics offered the best solution at a sensible price. The service was excellent from concept through to completion and the CP Electronics engineer embraced our desire to offer an environmentally sound product which, as a company, we are striving to encourage in our designs as part of our ongoing commitment to the environment.”