LIGHTING
SMART TAKES LED TO A NEW LEVEL
Integrating controls into LED lamps multiplies the energy efficiencies, according to Saima Shafi, Sales and Marketing Director, LED Eco Lights.
Since 2006, we have seen great shifts in LED technology, delivering huge improvements in light output, colour rendering, reliability of electronic control gear and of course, vast difference in purchase prices.
Whilst these improvements will doubtless continue, other exciting developments are taking place in parallel. Manufacturers are exploiting the inherent controllability of LED technology by integrating LED lamps and luminaires into smart buildings technology. An obvious first step is to link lighting with sensors – either built-in or connected.
Integrating motion sensors into lighting directly, reduces the complexity compared with the traditional approach of using external occupancy sensors. Thermal sensors can also be added to improve detection of personnel in specific areas. Simplicity brings the rewards of enhanced reliability as well as performance – not to
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mention the savings in cost. Older solutions quickly earned notoriety amongst users, who frequently had to wave their arms or walk around the building in order to bring the lights back on. Sitting position and thermal sensors with the lighting makes this a thing of the past.
Sensors that measure ambient light level similarly offer improvements over traditional timed switch-on/ switch-off arrangements. Why turn the lights out at 7pm, just because it’s assumed that everyone has gone home by that time? Why wait until 7am to turn them on?
A further advantage of integrated sensors is that it removes the need for separate installation of PIR detectors and the like. Improvements in control and automation can be added step-by-step, instead of involving multiple contractors and projects. This expands the potential for including lighting into building- wide automation.
This would allow lighting to be driven by users’ habits. For example, lighting units can be grouped together and communicate with each other so that they perform functions in harmony. Lights can be programmed to dim up and down accordingly, not only to current but also to anticipated occupancy levels. Another possibility is to switch lights on ahead of occupants moving through a long corridor, then dimmed or switched off behind. LED lighting is well suited to these applications, having many significant advantages over more conventional technologies.
LEDs are flicker-free, combating the common problem with fluorescent lighting. They present no issues with being turned on and off.
Another example is using central automation to control lighting in response to emergencies. For example, all lights in a building should be switched on fully in the event of an evacuation, with
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