green sustainability
june/july April/May2019 2021business businessedge edge
Light Years Ahead Phil Cottrell, Managing Director of building systems specialists GCL, discusses how the combination of smart lighting and building energy management systems, conserve energy and the environment. Over the last few decades there has been rapid growth in energy consumption in the public sector and commercial buildings, due to the ever-increasing demands of technology. According to EON ‘five sectors – offices, retail, industrial, health and hospitality – accounted for 71% of total energy consumption’
measuring, monitoring and managing the performance of building services, such as heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, lighting and security. By reducing the air conditioning by as little as 1 degree Celsius could reduce your annual energy bill by up to 8% Benefits of BEMS: Coordinate the operation of various systems
Smart LED Lighting Systems Today LED lighting is recognised as being a super-efficient way of saving energy and associated costs; however, when looking at installing new lighting systems, several factors need to be considered. LED lighting fixtures have been commoditised using cheap imports from China. More affordable fittings often come with exaggerated claims about how long they will last. The advantages of a smart lighting installation are immense and GCL are experts when it comes to smart LED lighting systems as an accredited partner to the manufacturer of the most advanced systems in the world.
What do Smart LED Lighting Systems have to offer? Smart lighting systems use sensor technology and data analytics which deliver solutions for energy savings, space utilisation analysis and optimisation, asset and employee/visitor locating, lighting control to increase employee productivity, and more. Third-party applications such as conference room management, hot desking reservation, and heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems are all made intelligent with realtime data and status of spaces capture. By having a smart lighting system installed, you will also potentially be able to take advantage of new technologies such as https://lifi.co/ which will revolutionise the way we communicate in the future.
Better Control and Much Healthier Light Installing intelligent lighting controls will ensure you are not using any more energy than you need to. Detection systems which sense movement and natural light can replace your conventional switches, ensuring lights are turned off automatically in unoccupied spaces, reducing your lighting expenditure.
Complete control over your building environment Closely monitor building energy efficiency Reduce energy consumption Cambridge University research has shown that If you ensure that 10 lights around your workspace are switched off every night, each year you could: Save as much CO2 as would be produced by 50 car journeys from Cambridge to London. Reduce your carbon footprint by the same amount as cutting out 25 flights from London to Paris. A smart lighting system will: Significantly reduce energy usage Drastically improve LED driver lifespan (the driver is an electrical circuit used to power a LED). Provide huge maintenance costs savings Maintain optimum lighting levels
Data Comms Cable and Smart Lighting Cable as one installation GCL’s technicians can install the cabling for the lighting system at the same time as the cabling for voice, data, security, and audio visual (AV), everything runs on the same standard, low voltage structured cabling system. There is no need for electrical distribution boards or separate conduits for lighting unlike 230Vac cabling, thereby saving on installation costs.
Can be integrated with smart lighting systems Your building’s Facilities Manager can use these systems to monitor building energy usage. GCL provide you with a coherent system which can be accessed from PC’s, laptops and hand-held devices. This will give you quick access to building information in the form of graphs, charts and reports, allowing you to make informed energy saving decisions. BEM systems can also be controlled by lighting system software which provides new levels of building intelligence. Such as space utilisation analysis and optimisation i.e., how often are desks being occupied during the day, asset and employee/visitor locating which means we can better understand how buildings are being used, meeting room occupation and lighting control. Smart lighting and building energy management systems reduce your energy and operating costs and help you meet your environmental obligations. Call GCL to see how you can conserve energy and the environment today. t: 020 3906 6070 e: hello@gcl.uk.com w: https://gcl.uk.com/
Building Energy Management System (BEMS) A building energy management system (BEMS) is a computer-based approach to
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