ALC Lighting Control’s Spectrum lighting management system is helping to ensure maximum energy efficiency for the lighting for the new Ayrshire Maternity Unit at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock. ALC is also working with facilities management company FES FM to ensure the lighting management is maintained and optimised in line with building usage.
Described as a new era in maternity services, the maternity unit is the focal point of a network of maternity outpatient facilities across Ayrshire and Arran, providing a comprehensive service from a single site. The unit embraces all aspects of maternity care from early pregnancy assessments and ultrasound to delivery and neonatal care.
A key consideration in the specification of the lighting management system was that many spaces in the maternity unit will experience variable occupancy through the day. It was important, therefore, that the lighting management strategy included occupancy control to ensure that spaces are not lit unnecessarily. This is achieved by linking the Spectrum system to passive infra red detectors in these spaces.
It was also anticipated that usage of spaces may change in the future, so the flexibility to reconfigure the lighting without additional cost or disruption was another key consideration. Any such changes can be quickly and easily carried out through Spectrum’s graphical software without changes to the hard wiring.
Optimised use of lighting through the Spectrum system also helps to extend lamp life, so that re-lamping cycles can be extended to reduce maintenance costs. Longer lamp life also reduces the cost of disposal of lamps through the life of the installation.