Chelsea and Westminster Hospital upgrades lights with DoH funding

Lux Magazine reports: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has upgraded its lighting to LED in an effort to cut energy bills and improve patient and staff wellbeing. The hospital, in Fulham Road, London, provides a range of specialist services for patients as well as general local services. The hospital, built in May 1993, is currently expanding and upgrading its facilities. The trust secured funding from the Department of Health for the upgrade to LED lighting, based on predicted energy savings and CO2 reductions. Thorn was selected to provide a mix of standard, modified and bespoke fixtures. Thorn’s Chalice LED downlights were installed for circulation areas, College LED luminaires in the corridors and Omega LED luminaires in the wards. Bespoke fittings were provided for the atria and staircases at the trust’s request to fit in with the original architecture. To minimise the electrical works and avoid disruption to patient care, existing fixtures were replaced point for point wherever possible using the existing wiring. Local controls have been installed to ensure that the lighting is on only when needed. The first phase of the project, which concentrated on the clinical and public areas, resulted in a 42 per cent reduction in annual energy consumption with an expected payback of 4.7 years. The installed load has decreased from 2,133 W/m2 before the project to 1,239 W/m2 now. The annual energy savings in total amount to £96,562, and CO2 emissions have been cut by 345 tonnes per year. The new lighting has lifted the mood within the hospital and helped to improve safety. Mary Knight, a ward sister, says: ‘With the new lighting the risk of falls has dropped drastically because we don’t have shadows and it’s far easier for patients to identify their pathway. Once you walk on to this ward it’s full of light and it’s just uplifting.’ Novel Energy Lighting supplies lighting for hospital retrofits, including several NHS Oxleas trust estates. Visit us today to discuss your lighting requirements