Our lights at St. Johns church had been failing for some time. The lights were a mixture of 150 Watt PAR38 lamps, the glass reflector style designed for indoor / outdoor use and 300 or 500 Watt halogen similar to those commonly used to light a patios and driveways.  The problem with these types of lamp is the very low efficiency and comparative short life.

Since lamp technology has come along in leaps and bounds, much more efficient lamps are now available and so with this in mind, we decided to use gas discharge lighting, similar to that used in street lighting. Metal Halide was one choice. These produce a very bright white light, however, we felt that this would be too "cold" and stark for our church.  High pressure sodium was another choice. These produce an equally bright pink light.

After some deliberation and experimentation, we decided to use both and install alternate pink and white lights. We chose 250 Watt versions which produce plenty of light. We decided to install the lights as in the plan to the right. The lamps are installed facing up into the roof where around 60% of the light is absorbed by the black beams but as these lights are so powerful, there is still plenty of light reflected back down.  This method highlights the beautiful roof with its oak beams and also produces a very even, shadowless light. The pink / white mix gives a pleasant "warm" feel.  Click here for more photos

18 floodlights were installed and a small 70 Watt spotlight to illuminate the main Altar. Total power consumption is 4.5kW, slightly less than the original lights but with much more light output.

We have been truly blessed with this project. Sometimes when things just go right, you have to stop and think. We originally thought we would have to dismantle the tower and rebuild it in each of the box-pews. In the event, the tower fitted perfectly in between them and was in the exact position for each new lamp. Our thanks go to Can-Do hire for their cooperation and discount on hiring the tower.