Color temperature tuning
In a recent American Institute of Architects (AIA) study, architects and building owners noted they are beginning to place greater emphasis on the impact of design decisions on human health. Nearly 75 percent of architects and 67 percent of owners said health considerations now play a role in how their buildings are designed, indicating healthy environments have become an important tool in marketing to faculty, students, and staff. Advances in lighting technology are having an impact on this trend.
Lighting manufacturers now offer the option of changing the color temperature of a luminaire to create various environments within a space. In the past, changing “scenes” within the same space would require multiple luminaire types with different color temperatures. This can now be accomplished with a single luminaire without sacrificing lumen output.
Know the codes
Any discussion about IoT includes data exchange. In buildings, the main protocol for data exchange between environmental systems is BACnet. The better a system conforms to the BACnet standard, the better the exchange. Specifiers should become familiar with the American National Standards Institute/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ANSI/ASHRAE) 135, BACnet – A Data Communication Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. One can browse the entire 1600-plus page standard, but the author suggests designers and specifiers pay close attention to Clause 22 discussing product conformance with the BACnet standard. Topics include minimum requirements, proper documentation, and testing. Many systems claim to have BACnet integration, but if they do not conform to Clause 22, it will most certainly be lacking in capability and, ultimately, lead to disappointment.
Another code of particular importance is ANSI C137.3, Lighting Systems – Minimum Requirements for installation of Energy Efficient Power over Ethernet (PoE) Lighting Systems. IEEE 802.3 allows for more than 15 percent loss from the power supply to the luminaire but the new ANSI C137.3 limits the loss to five percent. The main item is category wiring and the evolution towards thicker gauges. Network wiring traditionally focused on transmission speed. The new focus is on decreasing energy loss.
Emergency lighting is still regulated by National Electric Code (NEC) 700, Emergency Systems, and any PoE lighting specification needs to meet this standard, especially 700.24, which discusses directly-controlled luminaires.
What is the best approach for a specifier given the current state of LED luminaires technology?
This would appear to be a difficult question because of all the available options. However, when broken down, the process can be quite simple. Some points the specifier should consider are:
- what is the intended usage of the space;
- what are the expectations and desired interactions of the building occupant;
- how connected does the system need to be and where do the decisions need to be made; and
- what codes need to be met?
Cost can also be a factor. It is important to consider carefully initial vs. long-term costs. Foregoing lighting controls of any kind may save initial cost. However, over the life of the building, the cost associated with needlessly wasted energy due to the lack of control would outweigh the cost of installing controls. While it may be difficult to assign a monetary value to occupant comfort and overall satisfaction, these are important aspects of a well-executed lighting system.
Terry Arbouw is director of business development and product innovation at Hubbell Control Solutions. He has more than 38 years of experience in the lighting controls industry. Arbouw has held many roles including product engineering and management, system design and architecture, marketing, and sales. Arbouw is a graduate of Confederation College of Applied Arts & Technology and has been awarded six U.S. patents. He can be reached via e-mail at tarbouw@hubbell.com.
