Feature Energy Efficient Lighting It’s time to work smarter
These days we are all striving to use energy more intelligently and efficiently, and one area where this is a particular focus is lighting. Here Stewart Langdown of Wila Lighting points out that in order to achieve this manufacturers need to get more involved at every level, and this is something that specifiers need to encourage
Left and below: modern workplaces are becoming ever more dynamic, meaning
workspaces change with greater
frequency and the lighting may need to adapt accordingly
Flexible to change
he buildings in which we live and work are now being used far more intelligently than ever before from the point of view of energy use - and the smarter use of lighting is cer- tainly part of this. LED lighting and more sophisticated controls have obvi- ously played a key role in this. However, there is also a growing requirement for closer collaboration between members of the project team. Importantly, the involvement of luminaire manufacturers needs to increase and move beyond simply selling a product, and towards making a positive contribution to the overall solution. As part of a system, it’s important for the luminaire to interact with other parts of the system to deliver the required perfor- mance in the most energy efficient way possible. This can only happen if the manufacturer makes the effort to fully understand what is required and how those other elements of the system perform.
T
Providing more than just light A prime example of this is the lighting of workspaces - be they offices, facto- ries, assembly lines etc. Not so long ago the lighting specification would have done little more than ensure a certain illuminance was achieved and maintained on the working plane. Nowadays many people are looking for the lighting to be more interactive with the workspace and more support- ive of the activities taking place. For example, there may be a require- ment for the lighting to change colour
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through the working day, aping the nat- ural colour changes of daylight. Or it may be beneficial to increase brightness at times when people are at their most lethargic, such as after lunch or during the second half of a night shift in a factory. In other areas there may be a need for the lighting to support different activities. Meeting rooms, for instance, typically accommodate a range of dif- ferent types of meeting. So the lighting could be cool and ‘serious’ for a board meeting, or warmer and more relaxing for a less demanding gathering. Taking these elements into account
it’s obvious then that the interaction between the lighting and the controls is vital - you only get good lighting if you have good lighting control. Increasingly, therefore, the success of a lighting project becomes dependent on bridging the gap between luminaire manufacturers and controls companies. With the growing use of LED light sources there is potentially more scope for control, such as dimming in relation to daylight and occupancy, and intro- ducing the dynamic lighting effects referred to earlier. However, LED light sources and their drivers are more com- plex than standard light sources so it is unwise to simply assume the lighting and controls will work together. There is always the possibility of a technical aspect that has been over- looked, so it is important to test the lighting and the controls together in the early stages of the project and prove they will work together. In this way, any potential problems are nipped in the bud early on.
The lighting system may also be sub- ject to future changes so this is another consideration that should be factored in. Workplaces and workspaces are becoming increasingly dynamic and their uses are changing more and more frequently. As such, the lighting may need to adapt accordingly. However, another benefit of LED lighting is that it facilitates a more modular approach that not only bene- fits the installer but also makes it much easier to change the perfor- mance of the lighting in the future. It also enables building operators to take advantage of new LED technologies as they develop without needing to change the whole luminaire. This is not confined to the LED light sources. The ‘Lego for lighting’ approach being adopted by manufac- turers enables many of the compo- nents to be interchangeable, providing an unprecedented level of ‘future- proofing’ for building operators. As mentioned before, the technol- ogy is only part of the equation. The key to making the technology work is
for luminaire manufacturers to get more involved, and at an earlier stage. Therefore, those involved in designing and specifying lighting systems also need to take a different approach by positively encouraging and welcoming that involvement and taking advantage of the expertise that resides in many luminaire manufac- turing companies.
Wila Lighting
www.wila.com T: 01235 773 500
Enter 222 JULY/AUGUST 2013 Electrical Engineering
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