Hyndburn Leisure Centre is the largest leisure facility in the borough of Hyndburn, offering 80,000 local residents a huge range of sport and leisure activities.
Following National Lottery funding from Sport England's Improvement Fund, Hyndburn Borough Council identified a number of ways to enhance the leisure centre’s facilities, including improving the quality of lighting for its users.
After researching various options, the Council was bowled over by MHA Lighting’s new LED technology – which offered the highest quality light uniformity and colour rendering for their busy leisure facility, as well as being extremely low glare.
With the beginning of a New Year beckoning, leisure centre bosses needed to complete improvement works before January 2015, which would see centre visitor numbers double.
The team at MHA sprung into action and designed a bespoke solution for the sports hall, installing 40 LightStar 205 LED luminaires into the pre-existing high bay infrastructure.
In doing so overall lighting energy consumption was reduced by 64% - providing a lifetime saving of £76,700 and a 266Tonne reduction in Co2. At the same time Lux levels in the area were improved, with the LightStar’s delivering 500 lux to the floor.
MHA has also installed a further 21 LED luminaires in the swimming pool area, reducing overall lighting energy consumption by 71%, making an annual energy bill saving of £5,200 in the pool area alone.
MHA Lighting MD Tom Harrison said: “Good lighting is paramount in most sports and leisure facilities and our unique technology provides an extremely low glare rating.
“MHA Lighting is the only known LED manufacturer to shine light sideways into an encapsulation creating Total Internal Reflection. This avoids direct eye-contact and provides a safe and efficient light output that we can direct precisely to any task area, which is essential for clients like Hyndburn Leisure Centre that need to provide the best environment possible for their members.
“Combining the high performance of our luminaire with un-rivalled light distribution enables us to install fewer fittings too, creating a multiplier effect in terms of energy savings and payback periods.
“We are delighted that this has been such a successful project for the council, who tell us that the leisure centre users are delighted with the new lighting.
“It is also extremely rewarding to see technology that was created in the North West being installed by a North West council. Local collaboration is not only key for reducing an organisation’s carbon footprint but for ensuring the success and growth of the region we work and play within.”
MHA’s sealed LED lighting units have also been designed to resist damage from ball games - an essential requirement for a sports hall or indoor play area.
The fitting’s 66,000 hour minimum life span means that there is no need for regular maintenance and bulb replacement, which can prove to be a major benefit for installations above swimming pools and indoor ski slopes. The lifespan can further be increased to a minimum of 109,000 hours if the driver is replaced at the 66,000 hour point.
The lack of heat given off by LED lighting allows further energy savings to be made through reduced air-conditioning systems and is an additional benefit to leisure centre participants in a fitness setting.
Cllr Ken Moss, Cabinet Member for Leisure at Hyndburn Council, said that switching to LED lighting was part of the Council’s environmental strategy to improve light levels for the leisure centre’s members whilst ultimately reducing associated energy costs and Co2 emissions.
Cllr Moss added: “The leisure centre is used by the community for a huge variety of physical activities; from school swimming classes and gymnastics to over 50’s badminton and five-a-side football.
“The Council is always keen to support local businesses, and instructed MHA lighting to design an LED fitting which would improve light levels for Hyndburn’s members with minimal glare for their sporting activities.
“MHA completed the installation on deadline and well in time for the New Year, which is always a really busy time for the centre.
“The new lighting has been a great success. The scheme has hit a number of targets for maintenance savings, and members have commented on how it has enhanced the centre’s environment. It also benefits the Hyndburn community by cutting energy costs and carbon emissions.”
The Lancashire leisure hub helps to keep the Hyndburn community active and healthy with over 50 classes and organised activities per week, from swimming and yoga to athletics and martial arts.
