Lighting Solutions
Lighting Efficiency Upgrade Solutions
Lighting efficiency and controls upgrades can be the most cost-effective steps a facility manager can take to lower energy consumption while improving quality of life for occupants.
What Steps Must Be Taken?
A comprehensive survey is always the best first step. The survey should compile data including an inventory of every light fixture in every room, office, common area or other space, as well as operating hours for those fixtures. Existing controls and lighting level readings should be recorded. CAD files showing floor plans and reflected ceiling plans are a great help, especially for photometric studies and controls layouts. Occupant needs must be considered in addition to facility manager goals. When analyzed in conjunction with actual electricity unit costs, the data from a quality survey can yield an accurate picture of existing lighting expenses. Armed with this baseline information, Good Energy can identify solutions to improve or maintain quality of light in a space, while dramatically lowering total cost of ownership.
What Kind of Lighting and Controls Solutions Work Best?
The best solutions for a space vary widely based on space use considerations, design goals, light level requirements, etc. Some basic solutions for two facility types are as follows:
Schools:
Classrooms with fluorescent troffers and existing bi-level switching, (half the fixtures can be switched off independently), can be upgraded with daylight harvesting systems, dimming controls, occupancy controls and new direct/indirect pendant light fixtures. When compared to a simple lamp and ballast retrofit, a solution such as this will have a far lower total cost of ownership resulting from lower energy consumption and longer equipment life, and will result in improved light distribution and lower glare, and critically, will engage and involve students in a state-of-the-art energy saving initiative.
Offices:
Armed with a CAD file, it becomes a simple matter to lay out occupancy sensors to ensure there are no areas without coverage. The most effective occupancy control systems are networked systems, which can be programmed for maximum occupant comfort and energy savings. For example, in the event offices have glass walls featuring views into a hallway, office occupants may prefer that the hallway lights never shut off during business hours, even if nobody is using the hall. After hours, the occupancy sensors in the halls become active, keeping the lights shut off when the hall is not occupied. Installing a networked programmable occupancy control system results in satisfied occupants and lowest possible lighting operating hours for energy savings and longer lighting equipment service life.
Contact your Good Energy representative today to take the first step towards implementing the smartest possible lighting and controls upgrade for your facility. To shop online for thousands of lighting and controls products, visit our eCommerce website www.goodmart.com.