New generation controls offer huge benefits for indoor lighting
Technological advances in monitoring and control solutions for indoor lighting offer designers, engineers and managers an array of benefits from significant reductions in a building’s energy consumption, and the associated cut in CO2 emissions, to unrivalled dynamic control of all lighting output. Innovative lighting systems are inherently flexible and offer completely customisable solutions for every client.
There is huge potential to make significant savings on energy costs by taking control of indoor lighting. Of all the controllable lighting sold in Europe today 75% is currently not being controlled by anything more sophisticated than an on/off switch. As lighting accounts directly for 50% of the electricity consumed in Europe’s office buildings, control of this expenditure would be hugely beneficial to those organisations wishing not only to cut energy costs but also boost their green credentials.
Traditional lights are extremely energy inefficient or lack controllability. For instance, incandescent light bulbs convert less than 5% of the energy they use into visible light and the remaining energy is converted into heat; an unwanted output and unnecessary expense in offices that then have to rely on air-conditioning to regulate the temperature.
Incandescent lights also have much shorter life spans than many of the alternatives. With an average life span of around 1,000 hours, the maintenance and replacement costs of these light sources has to be taken into consideration when compared with compact fluorescent lights, which have an expected life span of up to 10,000 hours and LED lamps that offer up to 100,000 hours.
Fluorescent lights will convert about 22% of power input into visible light and produce less heat but they require a ballast and their life span is greatly reduced when switched on and off regularly. They also do not have a dimming capacity. Fluorescent lights may be more energy efficient than incandescent lights but, again, they lack controllability.
LEDs address both these issues by offering an energy efficient option that is easy to control. However it is only with the recent developments in monitoring and control systems for indoor lighting that the full potential of LEDs can now be realised. This new generation of lighting controls has been instrumental in overcoming a number of challenges faced by the earlier generation controls.
Early generation lighting controls, such as DALI and Analogue 1-10V, may be effective in reducing energy consumption but are particularly difficult to commission. Specialist engineers, who can command daily fees of between £600 and £1,000, are required to configure an early generation control system. As this task can take several days this cost alone makes these systems financially unattractive.
In new builds configuration of these early generation systems may be carried out in vacant sites before the exact occupancy patterns are known. Based on these assumptions it is highly unlikely that the best energy saving strategies will have been programmed into the system. To optimise the full energy efficiency potential, reconfiguration is often required, however this expense is even more difficult to justify as these controls have no means to monitor their own performance and so their true effectiveness is impossible to ascertain.
The new generation of indoor lighting systems which have been recently launched into the market offer control and monitoring capabilities that overcome these challenges and help to optimise the full potential of energy efficient lighting units, such as LEDs – see Figure 1.
These new solutions can be incorporated into a new build at the design stage or easily retrofitted into existing sites as part of a refurbishment scheme and through wireless networked controls the new intelligent lighting solutions eliminate the need for expensive rewiring of existing buildings and the inevitable disruption to normal business operations. The ability to retrofit these new wireless systems into existing sites is a significant advantage, especially taking into consideration the fact that of all the buildings that are expected to be here in 2050 80% have already been built.
One of the most time-consuming tasks associated with commissioning existing lighting control systems, namely the recognition and addressing of individual lights within a scheme, is overcome by new generation solutions that use RFID functionality. Each luminaire can be scanned into the system by using the RFID scanner, or an App on a tablet or smartphone. The intuitive, user-friendly Graphic User Interface (GUI) then has the ability to map each light within the system; it is this innovative technology that allows for the unrivalled control and flexibility of the latest lighting solutions.
Control systems that use the open protocol ZigBee mesh network can be operated remotely through the internet via smartphones or computers. This open protocol also offers robust protection against communication breakdown between two devices on the same network, an issue that had previously caused nervousness with earlier wireless technology. Further network security features can include the adoption of remote server hosting, an option often available through the provider of the control system.
Developments in wireless technology have opened up a number of additional opportunities. It offers unrivalled flexibility and controllability to building managers who can monitor and control light output throughout a building from a single remote hub. This level of dynamic control can be extended from this single remote hub to multiple sites or multiple buildings allowing managers to oversee light intensity and energy consumption throughout all the properties under their jurisdiction and then giving them the tools to control it.
The wireless technology also allows engineers to monitor the energy consumption of each individual luminaire, or groups of luminaires, their light intensity and potential lamp failure to ensure that the most efficient maintenance schedule can be implemented whilst reducing engineer on-site time. These cost benefits are additional to the savings made automatically through reductions in energy usage.
As buildings become increasingly multi-functional the requirements from occupants become more varied. Seldom does a building now house a single occupant;
instead retail, residential, manufacturing and offices reside on the same site creating challenges to building managers aiming to optimise energy efficiency strategies whilst at the same time meeting all the users’ needs 24-hours a day.
Lighting will not be required at full intensity at all times in all areas but determining the best lighting option has not always been an easy task, especially as people do not follow set patterns. Retail outlets are open longer and people work flexible hours. To meet these changing requirements lighting systems have to be intelligent, adaptable and customisable. Even within buildings different areas often need different lighting, for example the lighting required on the shop floor in a supermarket will be significantly different to that in the stockroom.
By using the detailed monitoring and analysis capabilities now available through the latest lighting systems building managers have at their fingertips the data to implement a whole suite of energy saving strategies to optimise efficiency – see Figure 2. This data can be gathered automatically at regular intervals to give a broad overview of the whole system. Lighting can then be tailored to meet the specific requirements of each area, activity and time of day. The new generation solutions are able to use the energy consumption data gathered to create a map of the whole complex allowing managers to not only instantly alter the lighting in each area to suit the activity taking place but also to generate and implement longer term energy saving strategies.
Intelligent solutions can use a number of energy efficiency strategies, often simultaneously, to reduce energy consumption. Photocell sensors can measure the amount of daylight in any given location and adjust the intensity of the electric lights to ensure optimum efficiency and light output. Occupants will be unaffected by these daylight harvesting operations as small reductions are undetectable by the human eye. Nevertheless these reductions will deliver significant savings over time. Lights may be dimmed without impacting on human activity. Managers can see the dim status of all lights on the system from the remote hub and have the ability to return all lights to their full intensity at the push of a button when required. Further energy saving strategies
include time scheduling, load shedding and scene setting.
Intelligent new generation monitoring and control lighting systems allow for the delivery of a completely user-customisable dynamic lighting solution that will save money on energy and maintenance whilst at the same time reducing carbon emissions. Managers can implement a co-ordinated lighting strategy across their entire property portfolio, however complex or diverse, from a single building to multiple sites. Seizing control of indoor lighting is one simple way in which a business can save money, energy and reduce their carbon footprint. These benefits can be achieved without having any impact on business operations. With the installation of such a system managers have complete control over the whole lighting output, whether this is in retail, residential, manufacturing, office-based settings or a combination in a mixed use development. Flexibility and adaptability combine with comprehensive monitoring
and control capabilities to ensure a completely user-customisable indoor lighting system that delivers on every level.
Dr Andy Davies is business development manager for indoor controls at Harvard Engineering – www.harvardeng.com
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