Engineered Systems - November 2008 - (Page 50)

G INTELLIGENT LIGHTING GREEN INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS Retrofitting Yesterday’s Building With Today’s Lighting Controls BY BOB ECKERY, ENOCEAN T he message of building automation as a cure for energy-inefficient buildings is beginning to stick. While the increased demand for and diminishing supply of energy has forced the word green into our language; building automation has stepped in as a logical and predictable cure. It is fairly easy to understand the merits of building automation; however, the means to install modern lighting controls is less evident. This dilemma exposes a colossal challenge and opportunity. While a building owner may clearly see the rewards of installing automated lighting controls, the installation options can be dizzying. Fortunately, technologies have emerged that simplify installations and provide the energy-saving controls that previously seemed out-of-reach for many building owners. SELF-POWERED WIRELESS SENSORS AND SWITCHES EnOcean, the inventor of self-powered wireless sensors and switches, combines energy harvesting and wireless technologies to enable solutions for use in simple as well as complex system architecture. Wireless technology is able to generate a signal of astonishing range from an extremely small amount of energy. From just 50 micro Watts, a standard EnOcean wireless module can easily transmit a signal 1,000 ft (150 ft typically indoors — through walls and ceilings). The secret lies in the signal duration; the entire process is started, executed, and completed in no more than a thousandth of a second. When coupled with controls such as sensors and switches, the installation of smart building automation systems is greatly simplified. EnOceanenabled solutions make use of energy created from slight changes in motion, pressure, light, temperature, or vibration. The captured energy is employed by “peel-and-stick” wireless sensors and switches to transmit data to system controllers. The self-powered controls help make buildings smarter, safer, more comfortable and more energy-efficient. DON’T GET WIRED INTO YESTERDAY’S THINKING We are entangled in a world that heavily relies on wires. Wires are like the veins in our bodies — absolutely vital. While wires are a necessity and here to stay, some conditions warrant wireless and battery-free solutions. 50G ES GREEN INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS November 2008 For example, a builder owner in New Jersey needed to convert hundreds of two-way switches into three-way switches. The enormity of the task was greatly reduced with the installer learned that he would not have to pull new wire through the walls, ceilings, and floors. The three-way light switch functionality was accomplished simply by installing two-gang selfpowered light switched and electrical load controllers. HEALTH ISSUES AVERTED When bypassing the ceilings using wireless and battery-free controls in older buildings, major health issues are also averted. For example, TABLE OF CONTENTS Retrofitting Yesterday’s Buildings With Today’s Lighting Controls BY BOB ECKERY, ENOCEAN . . . . . . . . . . . 50G Lighting Controls For Daylight Spaces Provide Tremendous Benefits BY DANIEL TREVINO, WATTSTOPPER . . . . . . 54G Accountegration — Proven Integration at a Lower Cost BY RON POSKEVICH, LUMISYS . . . . . . . . . 56G Lighting Intelligence In Small, Medium, Or Large BY PIERRE CHAPUT, CRISTAL CONTROLS . . . 58G

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Engineered Systems - November 2008

Engineered Systems - November 2008 Contents Editor’s Note HVAC Challenge Back2Basics Case In Point Commissioning Building Automation HVACR Designer Tips Show Me The Motor Money The IAQ Top 10 Putting A Damper on Tragedy Special: Lighting Controls Computers & Software Products Glossary Classifieds Advertiser Index Tomorrow’s Environment

Engineered Systems - November 2008

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