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Picture yourself in your local health club's swimming pool. It's 8 am, the water is fresh and the lights are bright, encouraging you through an invigorating, pre-work swim. Move forward a few hours: it's now 8 pm and scene-setting and dimmed lights provide a more relaxing atmosphere for an enticing post-work dip. Meanwhile upstairs, the treatment room is plunged into darkness at the end of the day's last appointment, and outside the tennis court's floodlights have switched on just in time for the arrival of the latest players.

Members of the Clearview Health and Racquet Club in Brentwood, Essex can enjoy such luxury, and the owners' reduced running cost savings thanks to an intelligent lighting control system installed when the two-storey sports centre was built.

ABB's i-bus intelligent control system – European Installation Bus compatible – is used to control and change the lighting in the club to create the right mood for different events and times of the day. But energy and running costs are also being reduced by the system as staff monitor the use of the centre's various zones and facilities from a central control screen at the main reception and ensure that lighting is only on when needed.

The ABB system was selected by tendered bid, but also for its abilities: "The m&e consultant chose the ABB control system for this project as it gave the ability to do what the client wanted from the front desk," explains Peter Haseler, business development manager for ABB's automation technologies division during the installation and now an agent for the firm. "There is an ability to do local and central control, plus a minimisation of wiring," he adds.

  Opened in November 2001 by health club group Invicta, 18 months and a new owner later – Esporta took over the group in September 2002 – the centre's management has found the ABB system simple and effective to use. Clearview general manager Jonathan Gray confirms: "We have the opportunity to control levels of lighting and can produce different effects or mood lighting – this is something we use on a daily basis. We could set it to automatic but we're literally changing the lighting scenes two to three times a day and the times of use of the facilities change daily, so its easier to do it manually as its centrally controlled from reception.

"On a day-to-day level, based on the size of the facility, its beneficial to have a centrally-located and controlled system."

The i-bus low-voltage system has a single, two-wire control cable that links individual components that execute programmable commands. Individual electrical circuits are operated by independent switches with simple wiring. The lighting can be manually dimmed or switched using the system and common light scenes can be stored for future use. All of the lighting functions can also be automatically operated.

Relays are used to switch metal halide lamps directly, explains Haseler, which can help with the control of groups of lamps. "High intensity metal halide lighting is fitted high in the roof and they have a high power rush when switched on. Some control systems need separate contactors to cope with this high current spike, but the use of relays in the ABB system can cope with this on their own," he says. By setting time delays on the relays circuits, lamp switch on can be staged to cope with the current rush and ensure full power when needed.

In the pool area, Iguzzini Pixel 150 W tungsten halogen uplighters with blue filters and Barrisol stretch-fabric ceiling are controlled by the ABB system to create the different mood settings. The gyms are fitted with Mondial AR11 1 V directional downlighters complete with M101 50 W and 150 diameter apertures and directional downlighters complete with 50 W/12 V 38° dichroic lamps with three hour emergency inverters. General lighting switching for the six indoor tennis courts and areas such as the restaurant are also controlled.

All of the luminaires were supplied by Malia Lighting and electrical installation completed by Durham-based ECA firm EEW. EEW was nominated for the project and contracted on a design and build basis. "ABB tendered to the main contractor, but in effect worked as a sub-contractor for EEW to commission the system," explains Haseler. Full m&e co-ordination was provided by EEW and the teams worked closely on the installation. "We were working hand-in-hand with the electrical contractor, so as soon as areas were powered up we could work on them," says Haseler.

Haseler estimates a 30% reduction in cabling on the project compared to a standard control system. This is due to the use of twisted-pair data cabling rather than 24 V cabling. "It is designed to be installed in the same trunking as the mains cabling," he explains, so as well as reducing the trunking needs any future modifications can be easily made.

Being a public building, fire and security was an issue that the lighting controls had to address. "The control system is interfaced with our security and fire alarm systems; it will override existing settings and provide a full lights-on scenario in the unlikely event of an emergency," says Jonathan Gray. This system linking was a specification that was simply and cost-effectively met. Haseler explains: "A volt-free contact is taken from the fire system; this is cost effective and links to the entire network. It can tell the status of the systems and automatically control them."

The success of the system's design and installation is best recognised by the fact that no modifications have been needed since opening. Gray sees its simplicity of use as a benefit: "It's a straightforward system and inductions for new staff take no more than five minutes." But he also recognises the cost savings that it has brought: "It does create energy savings. As we're a racquet club, as well as internal lighting we have a lot of external floodlighting. Once we've identified which courts are being used we can switch on or off to suit. If light switches were located throughout the building they would be on a lot more," he predicts.

The installation of control systems such as the i-bus EIB produce a potential 82% saving compared to a conventional lighting system, estimates ABB. Of this total 12% is accounted for by use of presence detection, 40% by daylight controls and 30% by use of electronic control gear. The life of the lamps is also increased due to their lower use and the maintenance costs thus reduced.

Clearview has to date opted not to use the ABB control system to monitor energy use but see it as a viable option for the future. "The utility bills for a standalone unit such as Clearview are quite large, but we exist in a time when the [health club] industry is going through a competitive stage and we're principally concentrating on getting new business," explains Gray. "But", he adds, "no doubt over the coming weeks and months the efficiency of the utility level will be looked at and identified, then more use will be made of the system."

Haseler reports that the i-bus EIB system has since been installed in other Esporta leisure centres and is currently being considered for five more.