Burnaby School Board implements a lighting system that’s great for energy management and learning

By DOnALD GIFFORD, ReGIOnAL MAnAGeR B.C., sIGnIFy CAnADA LtD.

From primary schools to universities, energy-efficient LED lighting has been a popular choice over the years. Now, with the power of wireless IoT connected lighting, there is a new way to save energy and optimize lighting at the same time. For school boards, it’s also a unique opportunity to provide addedvalue lighting during a scheduled upgrade.

What’s a connected lighting system? Basically, it’s smart LED lights with integrated sensors that are connected to application software. It allows for control and personalization of lighting, and it can provide data insights that open up a whole new world of opportunities.

When it comes to lighting in schools, teachers can choose between different light levels that best suit the students for the current task.

Lighting can be set for normal activities with a standard brightness, giving the teachers the flexibility of dimming lights when needed. A connected lighting system can also: • Reduce costs with sensors embedded in the lights that can dim when detecting empty classrooms • Balance natural daylight and artificial light to give the correct amount of light • Achieve energy savings with energy-efficient LED lighting and maximize those savings

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by ensuring lights are only on when needed, or dimmed rather than full power.

A great example of how an upgraded lighting system enabled teachers to find the flexibility they needed for their classroom is at the Burnaby School Board in British Columbia. Working with Quantum Lighting, the Burnaby School Board took the opportunity to modernize three schools with the newly launched smart LED lighting system from Signify called Interact Pro, and planning is underway to upgrade two more schools in the district. Interact Pro not only provided them with cost efficiencies, but also provided teachers with far more lighting options than they had before.

At the South Slope Elementary School & BC School for the Deaf in Burnaby, B.C., smart lighting enabled teachers with flexible, functional lighting solutions.

One important factor for the school was the kinetic switch which operates with the Interact Pro connected system. It is wireless in both power and communication and a simple add-on in the classroom because it doesn’t require any hardwiring. One was placed next to the teacher’s desk, allowing her the easy control to switch the lights on and off to visually capture the hearing-impaired students’ atten-

tion in a non-verbal manner.

“Updating a school’s lighting is not something that happens often. The lights and fixtures could be up for the next 40 or 60 years,” says Matt Foley, Burnaby School District energy manager. “When the opportunity of a lighting upgrade is available, it’s important to think to the future and with flexibility in mind.”

In the hallways, which in most schools are historically left on all night to enable security cameras to capture any movement, sensors were placed to ensure motion will trigger the lights back on. This solves energy waste by switching lights on only if there is movement, and avoids lighting an otherwise unoccupied space.

For the Burnaby School Board, this smart lighting system provides the energy savings inherent with an LED technology and the added savings from controls, and also allows them to lower their ongoing maintenance costs in a very efficient manner. The Interact Pro system dashboard empowers the school board’s energy department to perform health checks, review diagnostics and failures, as well as be alerted before a light will go out, providing the board with time to do any maintenance even be-

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fore the school calls with a notification. Data for the dashboard is collected into the cloud via embedded sensors in the lights.

“Connected lighting systems are a game-changer in lighting,” says Len Horvath, president of Quantum Lighting in B.C. “Light sources are wirelessly integrated with the Interact Pro system and app, so installation doesn’t require extra cabling or IT support, so you can complete jobs quickly and without hassles. It is definitely the way of the future.”

To find out more about Signify Interact Pro system, please contact donald.gifford@signify.com or visit our website at www.interact-lighting.com/ en-ca/what-is-possible/ interact-pro. n

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