The Lighting Practice

Client:
​Air New Zealand
Nationwide property portfolio including engineering workshops, aircraft hangers, logistics warehouses, corporate offices, and exterior apron environments.
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Project Lead:
​Paul Stoddart - CEO, The Energy Practice
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Overview:
​Since 2012, Air New Zealand has partnered with Paul Stoddart and The Energy Practice to implement a comprehensive LED lighting upgrade programme across its national property portfolio. This long term initiative has been a key driver of the airline’s energy-efficiency and decarbonisation strategy.

The programme has consistently delivered substantial reductions in energy consumption and maintenance costs, while enhancing lighting performance, operational reliability, safety, and staff wellbeing.
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Challenge:
Air New Zealand operates a wide range of facility types, including high-bay aircraft hangars, engineering workshops, warehouses, office areas, and exterior apron spaces each requiring tailored lighting solutions.
Before the upgrade programme, the airline’s lighting systems were hindered by:

• High electricity consumption

• Frequent maintenance requirements

• Poor uniformity and light quality

• Visibility constraints affecting safety and precision engineering tasks

• A need to support wider organisational sustainability goals

A large scale lighting strategy was required to deliver measurable improvements across a complex and diverse asset base.
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The Solution:
Paul Stoddart led the design and delivery of a staged, nationwide LED upgrade strategy integrating high performance luminaires and modern lighting control technologies.
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1. High Performance LED Deployment

• Replacement of outdated luminaires with high efficiency LED fixtures designed for each facility environment

• Custom photometric modelling to refine lighting levels, uniformity, colour rendering, and glare control

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2. Advanced DALI Lighting Controls
DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) controls were adopted across major facilities to provide:

• Individual and group addressable luminaire control

• Programmable scenes and operating profiles

• Occupancy based dimming and automated energy reduction

• Centralised monitoring, diagnostics, and simplified maintenance

• Long term adaptability as operational needs evolve

DALI technology played a crucial role in maximising efficiency, uptime, and lighting responsiveness.
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3. Engineering Led Project Management

• Detailed lighting design and installation planning

• Coordination with operational teams to minimise disruption

• Rigorous quality assurance and commissioning throughout all phases​

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4. Proven Long Term Performance
The LED luminaires installed in 2012 provided over 10 years of fault free, high quality lighting, validating product selection, design rigour, and engineering methods.
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5. 2024 Hangar Upgrades (Hangars 2 & 3)
In 2024, Air New Zealand upgraded its main hangars with a new generation of LEDs from the same product family, delivering:

• Further improvements in lighting quality

• Additional reductions in energy use

• Continued alignment with the airline’s decarbonisation pathway

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Outcomes:
Operational & Cost Savings

• Major reductions in electricity consumption across the property portfolio

• Significantly lower maintenance costs due to long LED life and DALI enabled diagnostics

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Improved Lighting Quality & Productivity

• Higher and more consistent light levels for engineering and maintenance tasks

• Enhanced visibility, accuracy, and operational safety

• DALI controls enabling task specific lighting optimisation

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Health & Wellbeing Benefits

• Reduced visual strain

• Improved comfort through uniform, high quality lighting

• Lighting environments that support alertness and long term wellbeing

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Sustainability & Decarbonisation

• Major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions via lower electricity use

• Enhanced lifecycle efficiency through adaptive lighting controls

• Strong alignment with Air New Zealand’s long term sustainability and decarbonisation strategies

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Conclusion:​

Through strategic leadership and technical excellence, Paul Stoddart and The Energy Practice have delivered a transformative, future proof lighting modernisation programme for Air New Zealand. The integration of advanced LED lighting and DALI control systems has created a resilient, scalable, and energy efficient infrastructure that continues to deliver value more than a decade after its inception.

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The 2024 hangar upgrades reaffirm both Air New Zealand’s commitment to continuous improvement and the enduring success of a well managed, engineering led lighting strategy.