Case Study Three

Seascape Primary School Peterlee

Moving with the times.

Working closely with Durham County Councils electrical design team, Setsquare’s latest daylight dimming and occupancy control system became a clear and practical choice to meet the demands set out by all of the main parties.  Lighting from Design Plan Limited met the criteria for light output and efficiency and lighting controls from Setsquare’s DLCS range met the criteria for control and flexibility.

Within the classrooms, which enjoy spectacular sea views of the North Sea, the  opportunity of using natural daylight to reduce energy costs had been the priority. Ray Goff, Setsquares’ Northern Regional Manager, compiled a lighting control systems plan for the school. One and two channel lighting controls including dimming, occupancy and scene setting were recommended for classrooms with standard occupancy controls for all other areas linked via  LCM units and controlled by dual occupancy and light level sensors (DOL).  The LCMs were wired to the DDC dimming controllers with their associated seven button faceplates at the entrance door and adjacent to interactive whiteboards within each classroom.

Window rows and inner rows of lighting were set to operate in automatic mode  with window   rows dimming to the ingress of natural daylight saving 30% of normal running costs and other rows following as daylight penetrated the area.Faceplates were programmed to enable button No1 to be set as automatic, and remaining buttons for preset scene set light level control.

The theme of scene set controls carried through to the hall & dining hall.  The floor to ceiling glass windows were utilised for daylight linking to maximise savings on lighting with other rows being added into the overall scene set system programmed for the room. A seven button scene set faceplate was central to the room with 4 entrance points covered by preprogrammed two button on/off faceplates.  Continuing to maximise on the lighting controls theme within classrooms, in darker areas, default light levels were set to maintain 450 lux.

The Infrapod range of lighting controls was also introduced to enable larger areas to be controlled with modular occupancy PIR sensors installed unobtrusively into the ceiling grid. 

For areas that did not require dimming but required presence and absence detection this modular range of products was a cost effective automatic occupancy-driven lighting control system.

The assembly hall/drama areas are controlled by long range highly sensitive microwave sensors.  Within the reception area, manual dimming controls were installed and to overcome wiring difficulties, a wireless system was installed which dispensed with the need to run wiring between the faceplate and controller.  Other areas such as toilets and store rooms, which are often overlooked, are now controlled by stand alone occupancy sensors and wall touch timer switches.

David Blackett, Durham County Council’s principal electrical engineer, said “From the early design stage we wanted to bring controls to the school that did more than just switch lighting on & off.  With more schools introducing interactive white boards these dimming controls linked to occupancy and daylight sensing together with scene setting from one system enabled us to advance our way of thinking.  We were now able to put more in to the project, and having all of these features within one DDC control unit now increased the energy savings potential of the school.”