The upper secondary school in Svalöv, Skåne, has completed an extensive upgrade of its ageing lighting system. Fluorescent luminaires, compact fluorescent downlights and suspended luminaires have been replaced with modern LED lighting in classrooms, offices, the dining hall, library and communal areas.

The lighting upgrade was carried out in 2026 on behalf of Svalövs samhällslokaler, the company responsible for managing many of the municipality’s properties. The main aim was to reduce energy consumption. Almost all the lighting in the main school building has been replaced with LED, with just a few exceptions. The building has four floors, including the basement, and around 20 classrooms used for a variety of subjects.

“There are two major benefits to the upgrade. Firstly, the new lighting has a much longer service life, which means we no longer need to replace light sources. Secondly, it saves us time. LED luminaires require less maintenance, which makes a big difference,” says Håkan Lindgren, Property Manager.

The school’s impressive main building dates back to 1921. This meant the new lighting had to meet some specific requirements: it needed to reduce energy consumption while also respecting the character of the historic building.

“I think we’ve managed to achieve both,” Håkan adds.

Lighting survey and design laid the groundwork

Kent Glad from Bravida Prenad was responsible for carrying out the installation. He explains why they chose Aura Light.

“The lighting survey carried out by Aura Light’s sales representative gave us an excellent basis for the project. It was a great help and made it easy to put together a cost estimate. I’ve worked with Aura Light on another school project in the municipality before, and that went very well too,” says Kent.

Much of the old lighting consisted of downlights with compact fluorescent lamps. The classrooms had suspended or surface-mounted luminaires with 2 x 36 W fluorescent tubes. In the corridors and dining hall, recessed luminaires with 4 x 36 W compact fluorescent lamps were used, while larger passageways had fluorescent luminaires with 4 x 18 W tubes.

“We also received excellent support from Aura Light’s lighting designer, who put together a proposal for suspended luminaires in the library, complete with lighting calculations. The result is the cluster of Gloster globe luminaires you can see hanging here today,” Kent adds.

Lower energy consumption and less maintenance

Most of the new lighting is dimmable. However, to make use of the existing drivers, the decision was made to keep other lighting controls to a minimum. For the school, the upgrade means lower energy consumption, while the biggest benefit for the property company is less maintenance and time saved.

The energy savings calculation covers the entire lighting investment across the municipality’s properties, rather than the upper secondary school alone. At the school, the reduction in installed power is estimated at just under 16 kW, equivalent to approximately 42%.

Linda Holm was one of four installers from Bravida Prenad involved in the project. As she shows us around the school, she says the installation went smoothly and that Aura Light’s products were easy to work with.

Does the new lighting live up to your expectations in terms of light quality?

Håkan and Kent agree that the LED lighting has made a real difference, creating a much better lighting environment. The old lighting had gradually lost its brightness over the years, so the change was quite noticeable. At first, some people felt the new lighting was too bright.

We also asked David Olausson, Deputy Headteacher, what he thinks of the new lighting.

“It took a little getting used to, as the light is quite different. But once we got used to it, we found it much more comfortable. I know the kitchen staff initially felt it had a more institutional feel because it was so much brighter. But we’ve adjusted now, and overall, we’re very happy with the result.”

Aura Light’s Lanternin LED panels are installed throughout the school, in all classrooms, the dining hall, assembly hall and shared spaces such as corridors. The classrooms are also fitted with Sevede WA whiteboard luminaires, which provide asymmetrical lighting to illuminate the boards. Suspended Gloster luminaires add character to some of the open areas, while Klint wall lights are installed in the stairwells. In the chemistry labs, Avena luminaires mounted beneath the cabinets provide effective task lighting.