The Challenge

The Oncenter planned to upgrade the lighting on the arena floor from (167) 1000w metal halide fixtures to lower wattage, high efficiency LED lighting. The existing controls were designed for the existing fixtures and their long re-strike times, resulting in circuiting that was designed for capacity, not control. The facility typically ran “all on” or “all off”.

LED lighting is dimmable and doesn’t have the long warm-up times associated with metal halide. While hockey games and sporting events are an important part of the War Memorial Arena’s programming, the actual games make up a relatively small number of the hours the facility is lit. The Oncenter saw an opportunity to eliminate over-illumination during non-event hours and reduce energy waste.

As part of their Green Upgrade, the Oncenter wanted the new lighting system to support tuning for specific tasks using individual fixture control without requiring rewiring. Installing new control or power wiring in the facility was cost prohibitive due to lack of access at the ceiling. The best solution was wireless, and that’s where Autani’s EnergyCenter comes in.

The Solution

WIRELESSLY NETWORKED FIXTURES

Autani Wireless Fixture Controllers were integrated into each of the LED lights by the fixture manufacturer, eliminating the need to install controllers in the field. Existing metal halide fixtures were replaced one-for-one with wirelessly controlled LED lighting. Because each fixture is independently, wirelessly addressable, no additional electrical work was required.

Once installation was complete, lighting fixtures and the Autani Manager were powered up. Autani Lighting Controllers were added to the wireless network using the Easy Setup wizard in the EnergyCenter software on the Autani Manager.

TASK TUNING

Presets tune lighting for specific applications including game, practice, event setup, special event, blackout, and introductions. Groups of lights were set so that facility staff can easily customize lighting on the fly for non-standard events.

MANUAL CONTROLS

Local switches backstage and at gallery level provide simple on and off control for work-lighting presets. Two WiFi enabled tablets provide preset control for the Oncenter staff using a browser-based interface.

AUTOMATED CONTROLS

Special event, practice, and game lighting are set in advance using the scheduling features in Autani’s EnergyCenter software. Sweeps ensure that the lights are off when the arena is empty.

The Results

AUTOMATING GREEN

Autani’s EnergyCenter automates the War Memorial, tuning the lighting to an appropriate level for what is going on in the facility. Over-illumination is reduced by turning on only the lights that are needed, when they are needed, and only at the level required by the current task.

DRAMATIC CONTROL

Because EnergyCenter provides immediate response, event staff can now create dramatic lighting changes, turning off some or all of the general lighting at key moments to allow special effects lighting to shine through, and then quickly restore light.

SAVINGS YOU CAN SEE!

During non-event hours, EnergyCenter has reduced energy consumption by lighting at the War Memorial up to 65%. Facility staff can monitor savings locally via their desktop PC or remotely using Autani’s Access Manager portal. Using EnergyCenter’s Kiosk feature, savings are demonstrated on a flat panel TV in the lobby.