White Paper
White paper
|
Integ rated Lighting Controls
|
04 March 2014
2
A white paper issued by: Siemens.
© Siemens AG 2014. All rights res erved
Integrating Lighting
Controls
As facility managers look fo r new ways to imp rove
energy
efficiency, streamline building operations, and improve oc-
cupant comfort, building tech nologie s are evolving to help
meet those goals. One building system with the potential to
offer greater opportunities in th ese areas is lightin g controls.
That may seem surprising, given that lighting controls have
been a part of efficient building operations strategies for
some tim e. But the difference now and in the future is that
integrating lighting controls into the building automation
system (BAS) can offer facility managers the flexibility they
need to meet ever more demanding energy efficiency and
efficient operations goals.
“Lighting con trols them selves are not mechanical controls as
we have historically known them, and mechanical controls as
we have historically known them are not lighting controls,"
says Jim Benya, principal, Benya Burnett Consultancy. "The
two worlds have good reason to stand separately apart. They
don't have a lot to sa y to each other, but in th e future, they
will."
The difference between ligh ting controls in the traditional
sense and integrated lighting controls comes down to one
word: communication. While lighting controls share some
information with the BAS, they are basically stand-alone
systems that co
ntrol the lights and igno re everything else.
Without integra ted lighting controls, the BAS and the lighting
controls can on ly share so much, which limits how efficiently
the system s ca n work in tandem. From an operations stand-
point, this has been acceptable, because lighting and lighting
controls strategies are very much driven by the particulars of
each control zo ne.
"Lighting con trols tend to be space-by-spac e sp ecific, and
there isn 't a lot that's got to go all the way up to a brain to
figure out," Benya says. "If I design the automated daylight
harvesting controls for the lighting in a room, my daylight
sensor's in th e room; the brains that decide whether the
lights sh ould be on or off — motion sensors, usually — are in
the room ; the dimming gear is in the room. What outside the
room is going to influen ce us?"
When those lig hting controls are integ rated with th e BAS,
then not only do outside in fluen ces start to come into play,
but the lighting controls are often initiatin g the dialogue.
Whether it's energy efficiency, component performance,
demand respon se, or working in tandem with other building
systems, informa tion sha
ring and improved data reporting
offer a number of new tactics for facility managers.
With new projects, says David Mead, building performance
specialist, WSP Flack + Kurtz, fully integ rated systems can
track, not only overall energy use, but also how much energy
is being used in a zone, or even by a luminaire . “That can
translate back to light levels an d anything else you want to
look at,” he says.
For facility managers looking to take the next step in better
building performance, integrated lighting controls can offer a
number of benefits. But there are some thing s to keep in
mind, including an understanding of how the system s must
be built.
With lighting controls, facility
managers can use schedules to
prevent unnecessary lighting at
any time of day. Integrating the
controls gives the BAS that
ability as well.