Light sensors have become an increasingly common fixture of modern offices, allowing facilities managers to slash unnecessary energy usage without having to constantly hassle colleagues to turn off lights. However, one of the most common complaints about these motion-detecting systems is that anyone who spends too long sitting quietly at their desk can on occasion find themselves plunged into darkness, which is the last thing you want if you work somewhere like a hospital.

 

Thankfully, this has not proved a problem at Bishop Auckland Hospital in County Durham where new ultra-energy-efficient lights and sensor systems are winning rave reviews. The replacement of about 60 40W fluorescent tubes with new ultra-efficient 21W tubes and the installation of lighting sensors on corridors on the ground and lower ground floors have not only helped to halve energy use, they have also made walking along some of the hospital's corridors a memorable experience.

 

The lights typically dim, rather than turn off, when no one is around, but they are programmed to power up instantly as they are needed. They also deliver a better quality of light than the tubes that they replace, and as a result ISS has secured praise from hospital staff and patients for turning some of the darker areas of the hospital into lighter and more attractive places to work.

 

However, it is the cost savings that result from more energy-efficient lighting that are undoubtedly of the greatest appeal to the hospital's managers.