Philips Entertainment Lighting Helps Cornwall Theatre Cut Emissions

Cornwall's largest professional theatre, Hall for Cornwall, has dramatically improved its energy efficiency following an investment in the brand new Philips Selecon range of SPX luminaires.

The Truro venue welcomes more than 180,000 theatregoers per year and is the first arts organization in the UK to complete a year of carbon emissions cuts as part of its commitment to the 10:10 climate campaign. The campaign is designed to get people and institutions to cut their carbon emissions by 10% a year.

The venue says that it has reduced electricity consumption in the auditorium by as much as 60 percent since it replaced its Cantata profile units with the Philips Selecon SPX range of luminaires.

The move came after the venue hosted a fixture shoot-out in September of last year where the Philips Selecon SPX range was pitted against a number of competitor brands, including the ETC Source Four.

"The decision was unanimous," says Simon Crick, Hall for Cornwall's head of operations. "The efficiency and brightness of the SPX was so much better than we had anticipated. The fixture delivers excellent, crisp light output -- we found them brighter and more comfortable to focus than the other brands. They are also lightweight and thankfully rarely get too hot to handle."

Crick and his team purchased the SPX lamps just a few months ago yet already the reduction in energy costs is apparent.

"Like many organizations, we are looking at every area of our work to try and reduce our energy costs," continues Crick. "The SPX has enabled us to reduce our energy costs, cut our carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time improve the service that we provide to visiting companies -- everyone's a winner!"

With the news that Philips is allocating €2 billion ($2.9b) for investments in green innovation by 2015 -- and the announcement that its cumulative green investments amounted to €1 billion ($1.4b) last year -- the term "eco-friendly" is definitely a major part of the corporation's vision.

This is reflected in the fact that the Philips Selecon SPX lamps deliver up to 63% more light for energy used (significantly more than current industry benchmarks) with up to 27% more efficiency (compared to the nearest competitor).

Hall for Cornwall's installation of Philips Selecon SPX luminaires will make a considerable contribution to the year-on-year reduction in overall electricity consumption so far demonstrated by the venue over the five-plus years