Do you remember when a light fixture's job was to provide light?
A company in Prague now has LED light fixtures providing dynamic illumination for 550 workers across their 108,000 sq ft facility. The LED luminaires are tuned to the workers' circadian sleep-wake cycles. A design that stimulates energy levels at set times in the day through different light colors and intensities.
At different times throughout the day, the LED fixtures are scheduled to 'boost' mode. They deliver a special illuminance that helps increase energy levels, workplace comfort, vision, and performance. The boost is likened to the stimulus of a strong cup of coffee.
Employees can override the settings to meet the needs of a specific work task or personal preference using a wall-mounted controller. Alternatively, the lighting software admin can easily make changes to that individual's area in a matter of seconds. It's simple and effective.
To optimize energy waste reduction, sensors and the lighting software work together to detect occupancy and adjust the color temperatures and intensity of lights throughout the day. So, for example, if a workstation is empty for more than 5-minutes, the lights will dim down to 10% or off, whatever the team member or company chooses. "By giving team members some control of their lighting, we have found there are fewer complaints, less fatigue, and headaches." While this sounds a little far-fetched, it has been proven in numerous studies and applications.
Studies from Europe report that starting the day with 3500K lighting and gradually increasing the Kelvin to 5500K boosts team members' energy later in the day.
We have found that the average power setting team members want in their workspace for their lighting is 40% of the total power of the fixture. Although the average 2 x 4 LED office fixture is 40W, our software operates 70% of our client's office fixtures at 16W. Now some team members want 80% power, but 16W is the average. This combination of energy-efficient LED lighting and controls has cut energy waste by up to 90% compared to the previous fluorescent installation.
The IoT is changing many landscapes, and lighting is undoubtedly one of them. Today, we design and implement lighting for our manufacturing, distribution center, and office buildings clients with environmental controls, asset tracking, read barcodes, measures vibration, geo-fencing, and help with space optimization and offer other safety features—these benefits and features through Smart LED Lighting and one control dashboard.
– Mark Wiley | President & CEO | Energy Design Engineers