New lights aim to save energy and attract major events to Trondheim Spektrum

Glamox has delivered 1,400 new smart LED lights that will make the venue even more attractive for international events, and drastically reduce both electricity costs and its climate impact

There has been no shortage of major events at the Trondheim Spektrum, in Trondheim, Norway, over the past year, with quarter-finals in the Women’s Handball World Championship, the Champions League in men’s handball, and not least the Eurovision Song Contest Melodi Grand Prix.

Now Trondheim Spektrum has completed a project that makes it possible to host even more major sports and entertainment events. Through a major retrofit, the fluorescent lighting in the 33,400 square meter indoor venue has been replaced with LED lighting from Glamox. The Oslo-headquartered business, a leader in lighting solutions for professional and commercial buildings and marine and offshore markets, has delivered around 1,400 new energy-saving LED luminaires in a project that has been ongoing since 2018.

“Trondheim Spektrum has now put in place connected energy-efficient LED lights that will reduce the amount of electricity used for lighting by around 80 percent. This leads to a lower climate impact and lower electricity bills. Built-in sensors mean that the lighting is only used when it is needed, which has led to the power consumption in Spektrum plummeting. Since LED lights last longer, we will also reduce maintenance costs and free up staff,” says Jan Tøndelstrand, Operations Manager at Trondheim Spektrum Eiendom, which owns and operates Trondheim Spektrum.

Tøndelstrand believes that the new luminaires make the Spektrum even more attractive for larger, international events and improve the overall quality of the indoor light. The largest hall has a capacity of 12,000 people during concerts and can accommodate 8,900 seated spectators at handball matches.

The change also ensures that Trondheim Spektrum complies with the new EU regulation that phases out fluorescent lighting across Europe¹.

“Glamox’s mission is to create sustainable lighting solutions that improve people’s performance and well-being. This project contributes to that by helping Trondheim Spektrum reduce its carbon footprint and save costs, while at the same time making it an even more attractive venue for major international events. The new luminaires also make its halls compliant with the EU directive that phases out fluorescent lights across Europe,” says Toril Bache Jenssen, Sales Director for Glamox in Norway.

Smart LED luminaires

The project began as early as 2018, when the newly built and largest hall (Hall A) was equipped with 64 luminaires of the type Glamox i80 and 119 Glamox i90. At the same time, Glamox delivered 632 other LED luminaires for the hall’s offices, backstage, storage areas, ticket offices, toilets, lounges, meeting rooms, corridors, etc. The lighting used in these areas included Glamox C70 linear luminaires, C35 recessed ceiling luminaires, and D70-R downlights.

The next phase of the project started last year when fluorescent tube luminaires were replaced in halls D, E and F with a total of 567 Glamox C52 luminaires. This low-profile yet robust luminaire has a variety of light distribution variants, making it ideal for multi-purpose halls with high ceilings. It also has excellent glare control for the comfort and viewing of spectators and competitors. Hall D has a greater concentration of C52 luminaires, providing downlight and angled lighting to satisfy the lighting conditions required by TV broadcasters. The luminaires are connected by DALI to a lighting control system.

¹ The EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive aims to prevent the risks posed to human health and the environment through electronic and electrical waste, by eliminating products containing potentially hazardous materials, such as mercury in fluorescent lighting. From 25 August 2023, the most popular linear (T5 and T8 tubes) fluorescent tubes were phased out. Sales from stock are permitted until they run out, hence the need to switch to LED lighting.