Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design

The story

"Emily Carr brightens classrooms and saves $10,000 annually."
— Robin Muxlow, Project Coordinator, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design

The situation

The Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, known for their innovative art and design programs, wanted to improve the lighting environment for students and staff, while saving the school money. It was discovered that their current lighting systems used less energy-efficient T12 fluorescent technology and magnetic ballasts and were unable to provide adequate or direct spot lighting. The systems' limited flexibility meant that its brightness could not be dimmed to meet students and teachers art design needs.

Low illumination levels, quality of lighting and light flickering in some of the classrooms impacted the visual comfort of students and teachers. Glare from the lights added to the discomfort of the occupants, and centralized light switching offered students and teachers no opportunity to adjust lighting levels.

Robin Muxlow, Project Coordinator for Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and Brent Billey, Key Account Manager for BC Hydro worked together to improve the quality of lighting for students and teachers.

The Power Smart solution

A team of Power Smart specialists visited Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design to conduct a full analysis of the lighting systems. Their strategy, based on the faculty's comments, was to ensure the needs of the students and staff were met.

The team successfully upgraded the systems to today's energy-efficient standards and improved the quality of lighting. The following cost-effective lighting technologies were implemented:

• Conversion of T12 fluorescent lamps to T8 fluorescent lamps and replacement of magnetic ballasts with custom designed reflectors and electronic ballasts.
• Installation of light dimmer and multiple switch grids to provide a more flexible lighting environment.
• Customization of specific areas – for example, the drawing studio's T12 lighting system was converted to a T8 system with an incandescent suspended grid to position the light closer to the students.

To date, 90% of the students' workable space has been upgraded to energy efficiency systems with a plan to complete the remaining 10% in the near future.

"BC Hydro's lighting specialists not only improved the quality of light in our art school, but also saved us over $10,000 in annual energy costs. With the money saved, we are now able to provide students with a more enhanced art program" says Robin Muxlow, Project Coordinator, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.

The benefits

• Improved quality of lighting. New lamps and reflectors provided higher illumination levels and better colour rendering. T8 lamps visually improved the skin tone of models for the art students and provided a warmer colour overall.
• Flexible illumination. Installation of light dimmers and switches provided lighting options for students. This allowed them to modify the room lighting for the application they required.
• Reduced operating costs. Installation of efficient lighting and a revised lighting layout lowered energy use by over 50%, representing savings in energy and maintenance costs of more than $10,000 annually.
• Increased comfort. New ballasts eliminated light flickers. Higher lighting levels as well as better colour rendering and reduced glare, dramatically improved visual comfort for students and teachers.
• More versatility. The lighting upgrade gives students more lighting versatility within the classrooms. They can now use the rooms for multiple applications.

Contact us

Find out how our Quality Lighting Solutions can help maximize the performance of your facility's lighting system, while reducing energy costs. Call us today at 1 866 453 6400.