Lighting

TAKING CONTROL OF THE LIGHTING CONTROLS INDUSTRY

As Prime Light approaches its 30th birthday, we talk to Ben Brunton, Controls Director at Prime Controls, who tells us about the future of lighting controls and its wireless infrastructure controls system.

Can you explain what a ‘wireless infrastructure’ is and tell us a bit more about lighting controls?

A wireless control infrastructure provides robust radio-agnostic protocols that enable smart nodes to communicate on wireless frequencies including Bluetooth (2.4GHz) and 868 MHz, enabling them to function as a centrally controlled network but with no singular point of failure.

Wireless control for lighting control has been implemented over the years since lights are always present in every building and provide enough devices to create a strong network, whether that be a mesh or direct communication with transceivers, so they make for the perfect network. However, wireless is much more versatile and can help you transform your building into an ultra-smart one.

How easy is it to bolt these additional smart building solutions into the network?

Traditional control systems have worked by having local PIRs wired to luminaires or a centrally programmed hard-wired system throughout a building to control DALI or 1-10v luminaires. The major downside to both options is that they require additional wiring or if used in a new build the owner is then restricted to the hard-wired control layout installed unless they pay for a specialist engineer to recommission the system.

Our future-proof system requires no additional wiring, with wireless controls you simply connect the new sensor to the existing network and drag it onto the system using a tablet. The infrastructure’s already there, so you already have an existing ‘readyto-go’ network in the building.

In summary, wireless controls offer the end user a lower overall cost solution that offers more flexibility, control, and the potential for enhanced saving due to the flexibility and the ease of making changes when the environment is changed.

What insight can you give us into the future of lighting controls?

Smart Buildings are not only becoming more popular, but they are also becoming commonplace within large sectors like councils, healthcare, and housing; due to regulations, compliance, and the need to work towards a net-zero goal.

When you put a lighting control system in, then you can improve the intelligence of your building in so many other ways. You’ll not only have an efficient lighting network, but you can then add in elements like air quality sensors, leak detection, CO 2 level monitoring, daylight harvesting, automatic blinds, and much more. There are so many devices being brought to market that will be compatible with these networks, therefore future opportunities are limitless. Essentially if you’ve got a sensor and you can give us a signal, we can put it on our network however that evolves in the future.

To add to existing regulations, it was announced on 15th June 2022 that new requirements of Building Regulations Part L will come into effect in England. These changes will affect all parties involved with building assets, including consultants, contractors, and lighting engineers. This new change will apply to new universities, new schools, new government buildings, and any type of non-domestic development, so it’s critical to prepare now to guarantee compliance.

With increasing cybercrime, isn’t security a big concern when it comes to lighting controls and smart building networks?

As security is a major concern for our customers, our controls solution and secure protocol have been designed with security in mind as well as preventative measures in place for cyber-attacks. Every device can pass its data onto the next one, to pass it back to a gateway that sends information to a Web Server, so no information is ever held on-site. Our security keys change 10 times every second, supplying bank-style security that is incredibly secure and reliable.

What trends are you currently seeing in terms of customer demands for lighting controls?

With ever-increasing energy prices in the UK, it’s becoming increasingly important for large organisations to analyse ways in which they can reduce their energy spending, and none are easier than LED lighting and associated controls.

We’re seeing more companies approach us with concerns relating to energy bills, even after installing LED, and how they can make further savings. Wireless lighting controls are perfect for this as they can be easily retrofitted & offer further savings based on presence detection, daylight control & scheduled dimming in certain areas (such as out-of-hours stocking within retail).

Emergency lighting is also a high priority for companies with multiple premises. Our self-testing wireless emergency system can automatically test,

report and schedule emergency lighting with any identified failures being flagged within one hour, including location and cause of the fault. This not only eliminates the requirement for an onsite manual test but also guarantees compliance.

And what are the overall benefits of smart building tech?

The possibilities are endless with smart building tech. Lighting Controls give you the backbone to turn your building into a truly smart and efficient one, from HVAC integration allowing adjustment of heating based on occupancy to a selfload managed property where lighting can reduce its load within limits to allow other devices to keep the overall building electrical consumption as low as possible.

For me, the main benefit to a building manager or owner is having peace of mind. To know that your building is compliant, to be able to remotely visualise the activities of your building, and to see that the risk levels are lower – these are all hugely beneficial and in turn, can save you a lot of energy in the long run. Prime Light +44 (0)20 8968 2000 www.primecontrols.co.uk Bb@primecontrols.co.uk

LIGHTING AND THE NHS

James Foster, OCTO National Sales Manager at Ansell Lighting, looks at the role lighting plays in the healthcare sector, and explains how NHS Trusts can begin to transform the energy efficiency of their estate, to the benefit of both service users and staff.

NHS Trusts spend an estimated £500m on energy per year, a figure which is soon likely to be dwarfed due to rapidly rising energy prices.

This can only add to the pressures on organisations which are already managing some of the most challenging estates, working to create safe, functional and supportive environments for the staff who work in them and the service users who rely on them, within seriously constrained budgets.

Lighting might not provide a ‘silver bullet’ when the enormity of the financial pressure is considered as a whole. However, where trusts can find funding for capital improvements, smart lighting can present very real opportunities to make impactful savings.

What is more, it can create spaces which play a subtle but essential role in supporting the wellbeing of staff and patients.

Installing a cloud-hosted smart lighting system, even on a large scale, does not require major infrastructure changes and causes minimal disruption, as there is no hub or wiring to be fitted and modern LED lamps are compatible with all the main voltage systems. They can be retrofitted even into outdated Victorian NHS buildings with relative simplicity.

ENERGY SAVINGS

LEDs turn roughly 70% of their energy into light. In a domestic setting, the Energy Saving Trust has calculated that replacing bulbs low energy LEDs would save around £40 a year on electricity bills so it is easy to imagine the potential savings if that is scaled up to a hospital.

Maintenance is also low-cost as LEDs last for around 30,000 hours without overheating or developing faults.

A smart LED lamp sells for only a couple of pounds more than a standard LED lamp, but offers much more in terms of features and functionality.

A lighting control system such as Octo, used in conjunction with smart LED lamps and sensors, offers a number of functions ideally suited to NHS environments, which have a fluctuating movement of people in multiple diverse areas, all requiring different levels of illumination across a 24-hour period.

Smart sensors offer multiple ways in which energy use can be reduced, all highly applicable to hospitals and other healthcare settings. The Carbon Trust estimates that automatic sensors alone can cut electricity use by up to 40%.

DAYLIGHT HARVESTING

Daylight harvesting employs smart sensors which measure the amount of natural light available and supply just enough electrical light to obtain the required uniform illuminance in a space, optimising energy use.

The levels of artificial light provided will vary greatly between a modern ward with large windows, where LEDs can be dimmed, and smaller consulting rooms where natural lighting is either reduced or non-existent.

CORRIDOR FUNCTIONALITY

The corridor function offers extreme flexibility for thoroughfares which are vital to providing a safe and well-lit connection between healthcare departments, and where hospital trusts are required to provide lighting at all times.

Lights along the length of a corridor can be programmed to be dimmed or switched off when nobody is detected in the space, but will instantly provide illumination throughout its length when a person enters one end of the corridor, for the duration of their transit.

ABSENCE AND PRESENCE DETECTORS

Motion sensors are programmed to detect when somebody enters a room, triggering the luminaires to provide light as long as the room is in use. The minute the person (or people) leaves the room, the lights automatically switch off.

This intelligent use of light would also ensure that NHS Trusts could evidence a sustainable, as well as costefficient, approach to energy use.

LIGHTING FOR WELLBEING

NHS Digital provisionally calculated overall NHS sickness absence rates in January 2022 at 6.7% – costing dearly both in monetary terms and the impact on service delivery – so the health benefits of smart lighting are also worth considering.

Natural light plays a vital role in keeping the circadian rhythm, or ‘body clock’ balanced. A smart lighting control system, with RGB and tunable white LED lights offering millions of different colour settings, can be programmed to mimic natural light over the course of the day, supporting the circadian rhythm.

This is of particular benefit to NHS staff working night shifts. Additionally, cooler colours, which help supress the production of melatonin (the hormone that encourages sleep) and promote a feeling of alertness, could be programmed for staff areas at nighttime, while motion sensors would allow for a seamless transition between these areas and dimmed patient rooms.

The creation of spaces that promote wellbeing, and the ease with which smart lighting can be retrofitted, scaled up and flexibly controlled, make it an investment worth investigating, but never more so than when energy costs are set to place an unprecedented burden on NHS Trust budgets. https://anselluk.com/

WHITECROFT HELPS MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL DECARBONISE KEY BUILDINGS

Leading UK lighting manufacturer Whitecroft Lighting has played a part in assisting Manchester City Council achieve its ambitious plans to become carbon neutral city by 2038, a full 12 years ahead of the UK target of 2050.

Using sustainable principles of product design, led by circularity, Whitecroft has completed a large scale lighting upgrade of Manchester’s historic Town Hall that included a regeneration programme of bespoke raft luminaires.

As well as being part of the six year refurbishment of Manchester Town Hall, Whitecroft will also work to decarbonise the Council’s wider estate.

The project, guided by energy consultants Ameresco, placed an emphasis on lighting quality and aesthetics, as well as carbon reduction through minimising the use of materials and energy, and increasing ongoing operational efficiency.

The first stop in achieving this aim was to undertaking a detailed survey the building in order to understand the existing lighting infrastructure.

This then enabled Whitecroft to work in harmony with existing materials, and where possible, custom design lighting around existing installations in order to minimise the use of new materials.

Whitecroft then upgraded rather than replaced the raft T5 Fluorescent lighting systems, taking a modular approach, and fitting circular designed LED Gear Trays into the raft, and upgrading 2,350 gear trays in the process.

The aesthetics of the raft were then improved by cleaning each one individually, and then reattaching clips and various accessories to produce a more visually uniform lighting system.

This reduced project waste by 70%, and the lowered energy output from 134kW to 75kW, with additional energy savings made through improved lighting controls.

Other elements of the project included replacing high ceiling lighting with Whitecroft’s Oculus pendant LED luminaire, complete with integral Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR), which was used to complement the existing architectural fluorescent pendant solution, and generating in excess of 70% energy savings.

In total, the work on Manchester Town Hall is projected to make energy savings in excess of 44%, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 38 tonnes CO 2 /year, whilst also extending the luminaire lifecycle and facilitating future energy savings.

Finally, to ensure the light in the Town Hall was of the desired quality, Whitecroft worked in partnership with the Council’s Health & Safety Executive to set up a number of trial areas where people could work and give feedback on the environment.

Andy Turton, Account Director in Client Energy Services at Whitecroft Lighting said: “Whitecroft has been embracing the business principles of circularity for a number of years now, meaning that we prioritise repair, reuse, and refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling, minimising waste and the use of virgin materials.

“This project highlighted our circular products to include reusable and replaceable modules, which significantly reduces waste over time, and extends the useful life of the materials included.” Andy continues: “This approach reduces the whole life carbon impact of our products, and helps clients to lower Scope Three emissions, by reducing the embodied carbon from the sourcing of materials and the manufacturing process.

“As a Greater Manchester based manufacturer with over 77 years’ experience in the lighting industry, we were proud to play our part in helping to bring this beautiful, historic building back to life and upgrade all the various other sites across the city.”

Andy concludes: “As we all know, Manchester was the very vanguard of industrial innovation, and I think it’s fitting that it’s Whitecroft Lighting, an innovative Manchester company, that’s helping the City Council tackle the challenge of climate change, and push towards its ambitious net-zero carbon targets.” https://www.whitecroftlighting.com/

ABB LAUNCHES MOVION ® – THE INNOVATIVE, MODULAR SOLUTION FOR FAST AND FLEXIBLE EMERGENCY LIGHTING INSTALLATION

ABB is launching the innovative and easy-toinstall modular emergency lighting range, Movion® – bringing time and cost savings to commercial applications such as offices and retail, as well as schools, restaurants, and hotels. The range is available in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and the UK.

This comprehensive new escape route signalization and lighting line features a clever modular design suitable for a variety of applications, including recessed and surface mounting, as well as walls and ceilings. In addition, the exit signage can switch from ceiling to wall mount by simply changing the position of the electronics box 90 degrees. Impressive lighting performance is delivered with bright escape route signalization equal 500 cd/m 2 distribution on the pictogram and good spacing performance.

The range provides better cable access and terminal connections for quick and easy installation, while offering a new track mounting option using a 3C interface for mounting to any type of track adapter available on the market, making it highly flexible and adaptable. The batteries are also simple to replace which again reduces maintenance time.

Commenting on the launch, Gerben Achterberg, Global Product Manager of Emergency Lighting in ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings division said: “Lighting is critical to evacuating buildings safely in the event of an emergency and our customers are under pressure to reduce waste while improving efficiency. With Movion®, we’ve developed a clever solution that will reduce installation times and total cost, while enhancing, rather than compromising on, performance.”

For installations where there is a need to optimize the number of luminaires, ABB has developed a hybrid Movion® version, which combines escape route signalization and lighting

into one product. The solution can be used to provide one lux as escape route lighting and five lux on safety equipment. For these specific applications, different lenses are available, and both are supplied with the product. On site, the lens can be rotated to adjust to the actual situation, or the escape route lighting lens can be replaced by the lens designed for illuminating safety equipment.

Movion® delivers impressive lighting performance with bright escape route signalization equal 500 cd/m 2 distribution on the pictogram. The new lighting range also offers good spacing performances, for both escape routes and open areas. https://global.abb/