Pegasus finds the right switch for retirement homes

Lighting switches with a broad rocker and a discrete ‘find-a-lite’ feature helped Eaton’s MEM win a Silver Supplier Excellence Award in the third National Excellence Awards, sponsored and organised by Pegasus Retirement Homes plc. Pegasus uses the company’s Memstyle wiring accessories and Memera 2000AD consumer units on all its developments.

The Pegasus Excellence Awards are open to suppliers and building contractors involved in Pegasus retirement developments in the Midlands, Greater London and the South of England. "These awards are intended to encourage excellence, not only in buildings and the supply of materials, but in working relationships that encourage the ethos of partnering" said Pegasus Chief Executive, Peter F. Askew, at the awards ceremony in Cheltenham.

Pegasus Commercial Director, Mike Gill, picks out the unique find-a-lite facility as a particularly important feature of the Memstyle range for Pegasus homeowners. A simple neon lamp behind the plate of the moulded switch, creates a discrete amber halo, to help users find the light switch in the dark. "We looked at competitors’ switches and they were all too bright but the MEM switch gives a more subtle light" says Mike Gill.

The lighting switches used by Pegasus are all from the Memstyle ‘Broad’ range which have a wide rocker combining elegance with ease of use, especially for anybody with limited dexterity. They include both single-gang and double-gang units plus a ‘push for help’ unit.

Pegasus customers are given the option to upgrade their wiring accessories to the elegant Aura range of solid brass plate fittings with a rope-edge trim. The find-a-lite facility still works with these by illuminating the area surrounding the rocker, within the plate aperture.

Memstyle socket-outlets and fused connection units are also used throughout. Kitchen appliances such as the washing machine, hob and oven are supplied through fused connection units with pre-printed legends to indicate the function. These and all Memstyle socket-outlets used in Pegasus apartments have double-pole switching for user safety.

However, the use of Eaton’s MEM products is not restricted to wiring accessories – circuit protection is provided through Memera 2000AD consumer units. All Pegasus developments are all-electric, with a combination of night storage and panel heating. Lighting, ring circuits, major appliances and panel heaters are fed through 12-way Memera 2000AD units while off-peak loads are fed from a separate Memera 2000AD unit. To ensure maximum user safety, ring circuits have residual current protection by 30mA RCBOs or RCCBs as appropriate.

Cheltenham based Pegasus Retirement Homes plc was established in 1984 to develop superior quality apartments for active retired people in the 60-plus age range. Since then Pegasus has produced over 1,100 private apartments and currently has a portfolio of more than 50 developments in the Midlands, South East and South West of England.

Strong working partnerships with its suppliers are central to the Pegasus ethos – a philosophy that is echoed by Eaton’s MEM. The company works closely with customers like Pegasus to ensure that its products meet the needs of the market in terms of appearance, functionality and cost.

For further editorial information contact:-

Karen Shaw, Marcom Segment Specialist Word Service

Tel: 0161 652 1111 Fax: 0161 626 1709

Email: KarenAShaw@Eaton.com