White Paper

White paper
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Integ rated Lighting Controls
|
04 March 2014
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A white paper issued by: Siemens.
© Siemens AG 2014. All right s rese rved
offers more options for widespread control of operations,
says Althoff. With time-of-use pricing, this communication
can help tig htly manage usage at any given point during the
day.
“There's a lot more data getting out of [ba llasts] than there
was before,” says Althoff.
For example, the norm in non-integrated systems is for occu-
pancy sensors to check occupancy status, then turn off lights
as warranted. But in an inte grate d system, not only could the
lighting controls adjust the light levels as necessary, they
could report the occupancy sta tus to the BAS, which would
then adjust the HVAC to match the setpoints for a certain
status of the room.
So, if someon e enters a con ference ro om, inte grate d lighting
controls raise th e light levels to a preset point as well as re -
porting to the BAS that some one is in the ro om; the BAS then
adjusts the HVAC to warm or cool the room as needed.
This idea can work on a whole building basis as well. If the
building is set to start up at 7 a.m., but th e CEO comes in at
6:30 a.m. one day, then lighting sensors can
light th e wa
y to
the executive su ite and the BAS can adjust the temperature
in that area. Then, when 7 a.m. rolls around, th e rest of the
building can be started as normal. This is just one example of
how advances in overall building technolog y and efficiency
offer greater opportunities for two major building systems to
work in tand em, because both lighting and HVAC not only
consume a lot of energy, they have a major effect on occu-
pant comfort.
“In the past, there's been very little that they could exchange
intelligently with one another and have any sign ificant bene-
fit over stan ding alone,” says Benya. “That's going to change
now that we're designing buildings more efficiently.”
Another area where integ rated controls can le ad to energy
savings is demand response. Som e buildings are already set
up to respond to demand response calls automatically; for
example, when the utility sends out a call, the BAS re sponds
by dialing back th e HVAC and lettin g the temperatu re rise a
small amount on a hot summer day.
By integrating lig hting co ntrols, the BAS can autom atically
manage both HVAC and lighting, shedding load from both
systems
to achieve a gr
eater reduction in use overall th an
one or th e other can achieve on its own. With integration ,
this can all be done automatically, allowing for a faster re-
sponse and less need for oversight to res pond to a demand
response call. To Benya, this is one of the key reasons to
integrate lighting controls, because it requires communica-
tion with a system outside of the lighting con trols.
There’s one more energy efficiency benefit as well, and it’s
one that sometimes gets overlooked. Lighting plays a role in
temperature in the building. This is helpful in cooler climates
or during the winter because it helps warm the building, but
in the summer, being able to dim or turn off ligh ts complete-
ly puts less of a demand on the HVAC to keep the building
cool.
Operational Benefits
In addition to energy efficiency benefits, integrating lighting
controls into the BAS can lead to more efficient operations
overall. By having a system th at can manage everything — or
close to it — facility managers can oversee building systems
without having to use sep arate programs or gather data from
different reporting too ls. In addition, facility managers can
track ligh ting en
ergy use without having to install separate
meters.
This integra ted management and reporting can help keep a
tighter rein on building operations and ensure that you’re
getting the performance you’re paying for, says Mead.
In conference rooms, sensors
can report occupancy status
to both lighting and HVAC
control systems, which
adjust accordingly.