FEATURE LIGHTING & LIGHTING CONTROLS
MAKING LIGHT WORK I
n recent years LEDS have evolved to become the most common light source;
their adaptability has resulted in a significant increase in both the range of luminaire types and the styles available to engineers, architects and lighting designers. Lighting controls too are evolving so that they are now integral to the lighting installation. The upshot of this explosion in lighting technologies is a significant increase in the capabilities of what a lighting installation can achieve and in the various ways in which it can be delivered. Of course the downside of this proliferation of luninaires and controls is that there is a far greater range of options available to a contractor, who may subsequently end up installing and commissioning a lighting scheme that is not as originally intended. In response, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and its sister organisation has updated its Lighting Commissioning Code L. The document covers interior and some exterior lighting schemes and is equally applicable to new-build and to refurbishment/retro-fit schemes. the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers is a publisher of guidance and codes that provide best practice advice and are internationally recognised, and the Society of Light and Lighting are considered the premier setter of professional practice and authority on lighting design matters. The revised code is intended to be a guide to good practice for the commissioning of lighting installations and to assist in defining commissioning and handover procedures. It provides a definitive management process for electrical engineers and contractors to enable them to deliver a lighting scheme in line with the design intentions. It advises on the stages, activities and actions required to commission a lighting installation, including its luminaires, emergency luminaires, lighting controls and the scheme’s interfaces with other services. The process described in the code aligns with the RIBA project stages of design, construct, completion and post-completion evaluation. The revised CIBSE Commissioning Code
includes a new section on radio- frequency-based lighting controls. It highlights the danger that these controls can be tampered with maliciously, as has been the case with BMS systems where the network has been hacked. The
22 APRIL 2018 | ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
importance of providing customers with accurate operating and maintenance information. This information may no longer be the traditional paper-based O&M manual, complete with as-installed drawings because electronic forms of O&M manuals now exist, such as a building information modelling (BIM) software models. Part of the commissioning process should, therefore, include updates and checks for accuracy and completeness of O&M media, in whichever format it is provided. Without accurate O&M information, it will be increasingly difficult, and therefore costly to maintain, fault-find or extend the lighting installation during the installation’s life-cycle. Code L additionally emphasises the
The latest advances in lighting technologies and controls make it increasingly difficult to deliver lighting systems that work as
intended. Sophie Parry, author of the updated CIBSE Commissioning Code L, explains how this document can make a difference
document suggests that if new technologies are being introduced and the installer is unfamiliar with them, then there is the possibility that they may forget to do the fundamentals, such as change access passwords. Checking the control signal strength is also becoming a key aspect of commissioning, particularly in buildings that contain a lot of steel, which can absorb radio- frequency signals. Commissioning should include checking all signal strengths to ensure that they are in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations. The Code also emphasises the
importance of providing the appropriate levels of training as the lighting installation nears completion. This part of the commissioning process is important because the facilities manager will be tasked with ensuring the lighting installation operates to agreed service levels and that the actual users of the building understand how the lighting works and the benefits it has been designed to deliver. End users may, for example, experience automatic changes in artificial light levels and colour in their working space, but may not understand the reasons for the change and so may try to prevent it occurring. Training is also important where there are manually operated lighting scene controls that end users can use for their benefit, but usually only if they are shown how to use these controls. Training arrangements will be particularly important where there is a significant period of time between completion of the lighting installation and the occupants moving in. The updated Code L is a complete
revision of the original, which was first published in 2003. The revision was introduced because of the dramatic advances in both lighting technology and controls technology and a growing skills gap with installers struggling to deliver increasingly sophisticated lighting systems. CIBSE Commissioning Code L provides a process management solution to ensure the customer gets what they have paid for and the designer gets what they have designed.
CIBSE
www.cibse.org
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