p20,21 Automation:Layout 1 25/11/2020 09:15 Page 20 Automation
The role of lighting in smart buildings
Lighting plays a major role in the infrastructure of a building, and with advances in smart building technology, energy efficiency and lighting control is easier than ever. Chris Irwin, VP sales EMEA and VP global marketing at soſtware technology company J2 Innovations, shares his take on the changing role of lighting in smart buildings.
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hilst Building Automation Soſtware (BAS) gives facility managers the ability to set lighting
schedules, dedicated lighting controls systems also enable dimming control and ‘daylight harvesting’ (turning off lights near windows when the outside light level is high enough). These are the most common ways lighting in buildings is managed to save energy, but the role of lighting in a smart building doesn’t have to end there. IoT platforms such as Enlighted provide lighting controls that enable the building to sense occupancy patterns, and become more smart-enabled. This new breed of lighting control features a small smart sensor that can be fitted into light fixtures and elsewhere. The sensor can track motion, power usage, ambient light and temperature, and act as a Bluetooth beacon. Apart from the obvious benefit of saving energy, occupancy monitoring provides plenty more. If every light in your building had sensors, the data captured could help building managers
20 | electrical wholesalerDecember 2020
make smarter decisions. Data from motion can show how often a space is used, typical pathways through the building, and how the ambient light and temperature changes throughout the day. It helps make an intelligent building more intelligent. So how else can lighting technology such as Enlighted and a BAS be leveraged?
Asset tracking Beacon technology can help track the way objects or people move within a space. In settings such as hospitals, nursing staff can spend a big part of their day trying to locate medical equipment; this can be significantly reduced by use of Bluetooth transceivers embedded in the lighting controls, which enables the type and location of the assets to be tracked, so staff can be directed to the nearest required item.
COVID solutions There are multiple use cases for smart-enabled lighting amidst the current pandemic. This type
of technology can enable people get in and out of the building in a contactless way, help analyze patterns of movement, and show areas of congestion or paths frequently used. It could also enable contact tracing to track people anonymously. If someone who uses the building tests positive, the system can track back all the people the infected person was in contact with and then send them alerts to inform them of the potential risk so that they can be tested.
Building maintenance Being able to track occupancy can save money on cleaning services. Instead of cleaning every desk at a set time, data collected from your lights could inform your janitorial staff of what desks or areas needed to be cleaned. This can be applied to restrooms as well; sending alerts to clean after a certain number of uses rather than according to a set-schedule.
Occupant comfort Measuring, and improving control of various aspects of our indoor environments for the well-
ewnews.co.uk
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