In this installation selected luminaires throughout the hotel, including exit signs, are connected to the central battery system and run at full brightness during “mains healthy” and “mains failure” conditions.
Central battery emergency lighting systems are particularly suitable for hotels – testing and maintenance are easier to carry out than with a system of self-contained luminaires and battery replacement is less disruptive. Guests are less aware of what is going on. This is why a Bardic three-phase, three-hour 60kVA AC battery system has been installed in the Tyne Bridge Hilton International now nearing completion on the Gateshead side of the River. Sited on elevated ground between the famous High Level and Tyne bridges the luxury hotel will provide a convenient, comfortable stopover for many of the visitors to the cultural landmarks of Gateshead and Newcastle as well as being a meeting place for businesspeople. The six-storey hotel has 254 guest rooms, ten meeting rooms and three function rooms, as well as restaurants, bars and an executive lounge. There are also a health suite and two lower levels of car parking space. The inverter and batteries for the central systems were installed in the rooftop plant room earlier this year when a crane was conveniently available to hoist them into place. There are four battery cubicles able to provide standby power for up to three hours. The batteries, made to BS6290 Pt 4, have a design life of 10 years at 20°C. In this installation selected luminaires throughout the hotel, including exit signs, are connected to the central battery system and run at full brightness during “mains healthy” and “mains failure” conditions. The local lighting circuit provides the power while the mains supply is on and the inverter provides the power as a backup to mains failure. Relays are installed for each of the selected luminaires to facilitate the changeover from mains to emergency supply. M&E contractors are Haden Young and the main contractor AMEC.