FEATURE LIGHTING & CONTROLS
MAKING LIGHT WORK of energy savings
Few buildings, whatever their purpose, need full light brightness 100% of the time in all areas. Hospitals, schools, offices, factories – buildings all over the world – are wasting light energy, and lots of it, by over lighting. Andy Davies, Business Development Manager for indoor controls at Harvard Engineering, explains how new technologies make achieving energy savings through lighting controls easier than ever before
L
ighting is one of the most expensive items on a building’s energy bill,
consuming 41% of all electricity used in commercial premises. Globally lighting accounts for one fifth of all electricity consumed, producing the equivalent of 70% of the world’s entire passenger vehicle CO2
output - yet this needn’t be the case.
According to the International Energy Agency, switching to the latest energy efficient LED lighting combined with smart control and management systems could provide savings of up to 80%. Effective strategies for indoor light
control have been around for some time - installing motion sensors to avoid lighting empty spaces, using daylight harvesting to maximise use of natural light, dimming where possible, time scheduling and scene setting. These techniques can be used simultaneously and even linked to a building’s management system. Combined with the benefits of using LED lights which are inherently controllable, easy to dim, instantly switchable and offer significant savings in energy consumption, they can transform energy management within a building. So why is their use not more widespread? Studies show that 70% of all controllable lighting purchased in Europe is currently only controlled by the on/off switch. The truth is that these existing indoor
lighting control systems, such as DALI and Analogue 1-10V, are not easy to install in existing premises and can be complicated and expensive to commission. Given the fact that 80% of all buildings that will be standing in 2050 have already been built, the ease with which lighting controls can be retrofitted is a key issue. Rewiring is likely to be disruptive and costly and the success of a project could be short-lived given the changing use of spaces within a building. That is all about to change. A newly
available, next generation of wireless networked control systems for indoor
22 SUMMER 2014 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Within each of these zones, ambient lighting, central accent lighting and perimeter accent lighting of vertical surfaces can all be controlled independently as can lighting on aisles, stairwells and entrance areas. Occupancy sensors have been installed to measure footfall by floor and zone and accent lighting can be selectively dimmed to create drama during busy periods. Using this new profiling feature, accent lighting was switched off and ambient lighting dimmed during cleaning and stocking. Windows have been installed with daylight sensors so that window lighting can be dimmed or switched off in sunshine. One of the most time-consuming tasks
associated with commissioning existing lighting control schemes, is the recognition and addressing of individual units with the network. The store has been able to bypass this problem via the integration of an innovative control gear which is equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) functionality. Users are able to scan in each luminaire
using an RFID scanner or through an app on a tablet or smartphone. This speeds up the process and adds flexibility to allow for changing lighting schemes. EyeNut uses the secure open protocol mesh network, Zigbee, designed for low data rate and low-power applications to communicate between devices. The system is subsequently managed
lighting control does away with rewiring, whilst offering user-friendly configuration and even opens up exciting new possibilities for multi-building lighting control from a single computer. This recently launched, innovative system, called “EyeNut” from UK company Harvard Engineering, is already racking up energy savings for its first client; a 4,500m2
department store, that
is part of a multinational chain. The wireless system was an ideal choice, given that the project was an LED retrofit.
STORING UP ENERGY SAVINGS A number of lighting control strategies have been adopted within the store – all managed from one central computer and allowing for sophisticated lighting displays. Sales floors have been divided into zones, separated by aisle areas.
Next generation wireless networked control systems are opening up exciting new possibilities for multi-building lighting control from a single computer
through a user-friendly intuitive Graphic User Interface, or ‘dashboard’ which allows users to see all the light fittings on a layout of the store on their screen using its mapping feature. The system provides full data reports giving lamp status and energy use to save on maintenance costs. Following the first three months of operation, Harvard analysed the results as part of its service package to ensure that control strategies were optimised. Figures show that an additional 40% energy saving has been achieved on top of the savings resulting from using LEDs. Electricity consumption has been reduced from 330kWh a day to 1,500kWh. This indicates a rewarding two-year payback on this technology investment. With this new wireless technology
making light work of energy savings, more organisations than ever before will be able to benefit from installing lighting controls. The International Energy Agency’s figure of a possible 80% reduction for combined use of LEDs and controls is finally within our grasp.
Harvard Engineering
www.harvardeng.com 0113 383 1000
Enter 206 / ENERGYMANAGEMENT
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32