Engineered Systems - November 2008 - (Page 58)

G INTELLIGENT LIGHTING GREEN INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS CONCLUSION For over two decades, lighting control has typically been implemented as a standalone system, because integration through a fragmented approach predictably fails. This is in spite of the fact that building owners want an integrated system, open protocols have been widely available for over a decade, and lighting is the single largest electrical load in most commercial buildings. Fortunately, the prob- lem is not the technology, the lack of demand, or the people involved; rather, it is the process The time has come to integrate not just the technologies, but the D-B process itself. Accountegration smoothly and effectively assigns the responsibilities to the appropriate players in the process. GIB Poskevich is general manager for Lumisys. Lighting Intelligence In Small, Medium, Or Large BY PIERRE CHAPUT T he increasing cost of energy and the need to consider it as a limited-use resource enlighten the saving opportunities that lighting control solutions bring to businesses and to building owners and managers. Indeed, lighting control systems are highly adaptable and extremely flexible, and this is why they are installed in virtually every type of building. No matter what the size of the buildings is, the principle remains the same. Zones are defined according to their particular lighting needs. Schedules are created for every zone. For areas where the rate of occupation is low, motion detectors are used. Lux sensors determine the required lighting level according to natural daylight. Solutions can thus be developed and adapted for any type of building where a control dimension is wanted. SOLUTIONS FOR LARGE-SCALE OFFICE BUILDINGS PROJECTS As mentioned before, the flexibility of systems allows designers to adapt systems to the needs of every building. Large buildings, because of their high power consumption and numerous occupants with different lighting needs, clearly profit from lighting control. Cristal Controls’ lighting control system was specified in largescale projects such as Les Terrasses la Chaudière, in Hull, Quebec, Canada, an office building complex consisting of three towers, the highest comprising 28 stories, and which accommodates daily around 6,000 employees. Due to the high rate of tenant turnover in offices, lighting control has to be flexible and practical. This large58G ES GREEN INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS November 2008 scale project comprises 117 control panels with a total of 1,728 relays. Despite the great scope of the project, the managers’ priority was the simplicity of the system. Being operated by security guards, the software needed to be visual, user-friendly, and easy-to-use. The chosen software thus allows viewing the whole complex, selecting specific floors, and controlling each zone independently. The system design respected the managers’ requirements. For example, the system has no starting schedule: the luminaries are turned on manually in the morning, with low voltage switches located on each floor. However, luminaries cannot be turned off with those switches. Moreover, 10 min before the lights are turned off at the end of the working day, a blink warns the employees. Employees wishing to remain in the building communicate with the security guards to extend the closing time for their control zone. SOLUTIONS FOR MEDIUM-SCALE SUPERMARKETS AND WAREHOUSES PROJECTS In big supermarkets, the building area comprises not only the shop itself but also the warehouse buildings. The various chilling, freezing, and lighting equipment it contains has very high power consumption. Supermarket managers are thus looking for modern, reliable, simple-

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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