Ovia gets top marks for school lighting upgrade

With more energy price rises recently coming into effect and adding to the financial strains that many schools are already experiencing, any measures that can be taken to reduce energy bills are welcomed. Having recently undergone a total upgrade of their lighting schemes to LED, two primary schools in Surrey are already reaping the benefits with reduced operational costs and improved lighting levels, thanks to new lighting solutions from Ovia.

Kingswood Primary School is a small village primary school occupying extensive grounds in Lower Kingswood in Surrey. Worplesdon Primary School is a much larger school located in Guildford. While they may be very different in terms of size, both schools are committed to playing their parts in the decarbonisation of their schools in partnership with Surrey County Council (SCC). The first phase of this work has been the upgrading of the lighting systems throughout the schools, replacing old and inefficient light fittings with LED replacements.

With all areas of the schools to benefit from the lighting upgrade, a broad selection of Ovia fittings were specified to satisfy the various requirements that the different rooms/areas of the schools called for.  All classrooms, corridors, stairwells and cloakroom facilities were included, along with the hall, kitchen, reception areas, offices, staff rooms, store rooms, plus libraries, IT and music rooms. The provision for emergency lighting and external lighting was also part of the project.

Responsible for specifying and installing fittings for the LED lighting upgrade was Stuart Gibson Divisional Manager with Niblock Electrical Services, a specialist electrical division within Niblock Building Contractors, working on domestic, commercial, maintenance, fire alarms/emergency lighting and EV charging projects, and operating across London and the South East regions. Stuart has worked with Ovia for a number of years and has installed a variety of the company’s fittings across numerous commercial projects.

“We are pleased to share our experience with the recent lighting installation project at Kingswood and Worplesdon Primary Schools, which was completed in close coordination with Niblock Electrical Services and Ovia Lighting. This project, undertaken on behalf of Surrey County Council, aimed to enhance the learning environment for both staff and students through the installation of high-quality, energy-efficient lighting solutions. The collaboration between Niblock Electrical Services, led by me, and Reg Oldrey from Ovia Lighting, was instrumental in ensuring the successful execution of the project.”

Lighting solutions from across Ovia’s vast collection have been installed including products from the commercial, utility, emergency and floodlighting ranges. These included: Inceptor A-Lite, Inceptor U-Lite, Inceptor Duo, Inceptor Slate Backlit, Evo Orb, and Pathfinder.

Niblock’s Stuart Gibson concluded: “We are delighted with the results, as the new lighting systems have significantly improved the overall brightness and ambiance of both schools, creating a more productive and comfortable atmosphere for all. The professionalism and dedication of both teams throughout the project were exceptional, and we look forward to future collaborations with Surrey County Council and Ovia Lighting.

This project demonstrates the importance of effective coordination between suppliers, designers, and installers in delivering high-quality outcomes for public sector clients.”