Philips LuxSpace LED downlighters have transformed the restaurant and conference area at Dartmoor Zoological Park, as well as saving energy and reducing maintenance costs, taming the bills a little...

In replacing ageing compact fluorescent downlighters, Philips LuxSpace LED downlighters have transformed the restaurant and conference area at Dartmoor Zoological Park. Combined with OccuSwitch DALI controls, the new lighting installation has also slashed the zoo’s energy and maintenance costs.

The subject of bestselling book ‘We Bought a Zoo’ and soon to feature in a Hollywood movie starring Matt Damon and Scarlet Johansson, the story of Dartmoor Zoo is extraordinary. When Benjamin Mee and his brother Duncan decided to buy the run-down zoo in 2006, they had no experience to fall back on and little idea of the tribulations that lay ahead. Since then they have worked tirelessly in bringing the estate up to scratch and improving the facilities for visitors.

One area of concern was the restaurant, where the ageing 2 x 26W compact fluorescent downlights were doing nothing to enhance the zoo’s image.In replacing ageing compact fluorescent downlighters, Philips LuxSpace LED downlighters have transformed the restaurant and conference area at Dartmoor Zoological Park. Combined with OccuSwitch DALI controls, the new lighting installation has also slashed the zoo’s energy and maintenance costs.

“We reached a stage where only about 40% of the fittings were working and those that were on weren’t giving out much light,” recalled the zoo’s Business Development Manager Alex Smale. “The fittings were also very unattractive and certainly didn’t create the right impression,” he added.

To address this issue, the zoo contacted electrical wholesaler and specialist solutions provider Western Electrical to find a solution that would reduce its costs, energy consumption and carbon footprint. “We assessed the existing lighting and, following discussions with Philips, decided to replace the existing fittings with 32W LuxSpace LED recessed downlighters,” explained Western Electrical’s Andy Terrell. “A major advantage of this, beyond the energy savings and improved lighting performance, was that we could utilise the existing holes to keep the installation costs to a minimum,” he continued.

The LuxSpace fittings are divided into zones and controlled through a Philips OccuSwitch DALI system, taking advantage of the DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) functionality to deliver enhanced control. As a result, the lighting is linked to photocells so that it can be automatically dimmed in relation to levels of natural daylight. It is also linked to occupancy detectors, so lighting in unoccupied areas within the restaurant is dimmed to around 20% of full light output.

The changes brought by the new lighting have been met with approval by both staff and visitors. “It has made a fantastic difference to the restaurant and we’ll be saving a massive amount on energy costs. There will also be big savings on maintenance, thanks to the long life of the LED lamps,” Alex Smale enthused.

In addition to the lighting in the restaurant and conference area, Philips is supplying new lighting to the new cat houses, to create a better environment for the keepers. Upgrading the lighting is one of a wide range of measures being taken by the zoo to reduce its environmental impact and it has also forged close links with Bicton College in Salterton to promote environmental awareness. The two organisations are currently working together to create an education centre at the zoo to supplement the existing educational activities.

The feature film on Dartmoor Zoo is due for release this Christmas and there is also a TV documentary in the making, detailing the zoo’s amazing story.

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