LED TECHNOLOGY O
A GAME CHANGER FOR ICE RINKS! by Bill Zak
ver the past 25 years, I have spent more time in ice arenas than I care to admit – first as a hockey
dad driving my three sons to youth travel hockey games at scores of rinks throughout the Northeast, and later as a lighting consultant working with rinks to help them reduce energy consumption. In this role, I quickly recognized the need for better and more efficient lighting in ice rinks. In 2002, I co-founded a lighting design
company called IntellEnergy, LLC. We offered a custom designed high-intensity, energy-saving fluorescent luminaire (Arena Star Fixture) used specifically in ice rinks. Typically, the fluorescent technology
reduced lighting energy costs by 50 percent or more, improved the light levels by 40-percent-plus, and saved rinks ongoing maintenance costs due to its longer lifecyle. IntellEnergy installed the Arena Star Fixture in over 300 rinks in the country. Fluorescent lamps were considered the best lighting source for ice rinks. In recent years, however, LED has found its way into the commercial and industrial
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lighting sector as LED efficiency (lumens per watt) increased drastically. LED is now surpassing the more traditional HID and fluorescent lamps in popularity. In the last 18 months, LED has gained acceptance in high-bay applications and is quickly being recognized as an excellent luminary source for ice rinks. Other benefits of LED lighting include a
significantly longer life (80,000 to 100,000 hours) and zero maintenance (for at least 8 to 10 years). If a rink keeps these lights on at full output for 18 hours daily, they will last 15 years. In the past 14 months, many rink
owners have asked me: “Are LEDs worth the investment? Can they effectively light up the ice since the arena is a high-bay application?” (In the past, this was a major challenge for LEDs in terms of light levels and optics.)
DIMMING = SAVINGS
Rink owners who have used our company to upgrade to LED (one-for- one replacement) in the past year have reported a 30-percent energy savings.
Te ability to control the light fixtures via a dimming platform is the key, or “game changer,” to ice rink energy savings. Our experience has been that most rinks only need full illumination about 10 percent of the time.
A dimming platform provides
customization through smart devices that can provide an additional 30 to 50 percent in energy savings. Tis wireless control system can easily and quickly adjust light levels to fit various events, eliminating the need to leave the fixtures on at full illumination the entire time the rink is in operation. For example, the following foot-candle levels are guidelines for various events:
• High School/Prep School 65 to 75 fc • Figure Skating • Public Skating • Ice Maintenance
40 to 45 fc 30 to 40 fc 10 fc -
When selecting a wireless control
system for LED, look for one that is both simple and sophisticated and has a wide range of functionality and controllability from any on-site or remote location.
ISI EDGE SPRING 2016
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