Becket Keys Church of England School

LED Sports Floodlighting & Signify Interact Lighting Control

Project Overview

Becket Keys Church of England School is a secondary school in Brentwood, Essex, which opened in 2012. The school has a strong focus on high standards, character education and providing opportunities for students to develop both academically and personally.

Sport forms an important part of school life, with the school providing an Astroturf sports pitch and a range of sporting activities and extracurricular clubs. The Astroturf is also used outside normal school activities, with the school offering sports facilities for hire.

SJB Floodlighting was appointed to undertake the refurbishment of the hockey pitch floodlighting, replacing the existing metal halide system with modern LED floodlights and integrating a Signify Interact lighting control system.

The project was designed to improve lighting performance and energy efficiency while giving the school much greater flexibility over how the pitch lighting is operated.

Philips LED Sports Floodlighting

The existing installation consisted of 28 metal halide floodlights, which were removed as part of the refurbishment. SJB supplied and installed 16 Philips LED floodlights, comprising 12 Philips BVP528 T35 A35-NB units and 4 Philips BVP518 T35 A35-NB units.

The new LED system was designed to provide lighting suitable for FIH standards of at least 350 lux with a uniformity of at least 0.7, as stated within SJB's project proposal.

The existing lighting columns were retained, with their height adjusted where necessary to accommodate the new LED floodlights, and new crossarms were supplied as part of the installation.

A Significant Reduction in Energy Consumption

One of the key benefits of the upgrade was the substantial reduction in the electrical load required to operate the floodlights.

The existing metal halide installation consumed approximately 59 kW, while the new LED design reduced this to 22.09 kW. This represents a saving of around 37 kW, or 63% in connected lighting load.

The LED system also provides instant-on and instant-off operation, eliminating the warm-up period associated with the previous metal halide floodlights. This gives the school greater flexibility when operating the pitch and can provide additional savings where there are gaps between bookings, as the lights can be switched off rather than remaining on between sessions.

Electrical Infrastructure

SJB's works included the removal of the existing floodlight operating equipment and installation of new LED operating control gear.

New flexible cables were installed from the column base compartments to the new floodlights, and the local switchgear within the column base cabinets was altered to suit the new LED installation.

The existing electrical installation was safely isolated before work commenced, with suitable existing cabling, switchgear and control infrastructure reused where appropriate.

Signify Interact Lighting Control

A major part of the project was the installation of Signify Interact lighting control, providing the school with a modern and flexible way of operating the hockey pitch floodlighting.

SJB's quotation included a remote switching solution via Signify Interact, which was incorporated into the completed installation.

Signify Interact Field & Court is a connected lighting system developed specifically for recreational sports. It allows lighting to be controlled remotely and provides different lighting settings depending on the activity taking place, together with local push-button control and scheduling capabilities.

Sport-Specific Lighting Levels

A key benefit of the Signify Interact system at Becket Keys is the ability to adjust the lighting level to suit the sport being played.

The pitch lighting can operate at 350 lux for hockey and then be dimmed down to 200 lux for football, ensuring the lighting level is matched to the requirements of each sport without unnecessarily operating the floodlights at the higher output.

Interact supports adjustable dimming levels for different activities and allows lighting to be controlled across groups or individual fixtures.

This gives Becket Keys a more flexible sports lighting solution, allowing the same installation to effectively support different sports while helping to minimise unnecessary energy use.

Remote Control & Lighting Schedules

The Interact system also provides the ability to manage, monitor and control the lighting remotely, with scheduling functionality allowing the floodlights to operate around planned facility usage.

Schedules can be configured for one-off or recurring events, with the system capable of automatically switching the lighting off outside programmed operating periods. Different lighting scenes can also be selected for activities such as training and matches.

This provides practical benefits for a busy school sports facility, helping ensure the floodlights are only operating when required while making the system significantly easier to manage.

Testing & Commissioning

SJB completed a full testing and commissioning process following installation.

Each column was function tested as the new LED floodlights were installed, followed by full-system testing and commissioning. An after-dark illumination test was also undertaken, with the results reported to the client. Operational instruction was provided to school staff together with an operating manual. The completed system was tested to BS7671, with certification provided.

The Result

The completed project transformed Becket Keys' hockey pitch lighting from an ageing metal halide installation into a modern LED sports floodlighting system with intelligent Signify Interact control.

The upgrade delivered a combination of improved lighting technology, substantially reduced energy consumption and much greater control over the operation of the facility.

Project Highlights

LED floodlighting28 existing metal halide floodlights removed and replaced with 16 Philips LED floodlights.

63% reduction in connected lighting loadThe calculated load reduced from approximately 59 kW to 22.09 kW.

New electrical infrastructureNew flexible cables, LED operating equipment and alterations to the local column-base switchgear.

Signify Interact controlConnected lighting control providing remote operation, activity-based lighting settings and scheduling.

Sport-specific lighting levelsThe pitch can operate at 350 lux for hockey and be dimmed down to 200 lux for football, matching the lighting level to the sport being played.

Remote schedulingLighting schedules can be programmed around facility usage, with automatic switching and different lighting scenes available for different activities.

Complete testing & commissioningFunction testing, full commissioning, after-dark illumination testing and BS7671 certification completed by SJB.

SJB Floodlighting

SJB Floodlighting specialises in the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of sports floodlighting systems, providing complete lighting and electrical solutions for schools, clubs, local authorities and sports facilities across the UK.

The Becket Keys project demonstrates how SJB can combine modern LED sports lighting with intelligent connected control technology, delivering a system that not only significantly reduces energy consumption but also gives the client greater control over lighting levels, schedules and how the facility is used.