With electrical bills on the rise, a very basic piece of advice makes more sense than ever: use energy only when it is really needed. That is also the principle behind demand-driven building automation and products, such as the ESYLUX lighting controls and presence detectors. Core Distribution Ireland, is the sole distribution partner in the Irish market for this globally renowned intelligent automation and lighting control manufacturer.
The use of daylight in buildings doesn’t only help people feel better and work more healthily, but also reduces energy costs: the more daylight is used in the building, the less artificial light is required. In this article, Core Distribution explains how savings can be incremented using daylight-dependent constant lighting controls with a presence detector, such as the DUO DALI presence detectors in the COMPACT series from ESYLUX.
The presence detector
The lighting control works by considering the amount of daylight coming into a building and then dimming the lights accordingly. The presence detector is guided by the nominal level of brightness to ensure safe lighting which meets all applicable standards.
Offset with just one regulating presence detector
The presence detector achieves constant lighting control using an integral light sensor. This also means that at least one detector is always required in a specific room zone. On the one hand, it would be ideal to do this in as many zones as possible to optimise the use of daylight. On the other hand, it makes little sense to increase the number of detectors simply to achieve this.
A simple but effective solution is an offset between multiple lighting groups controlled by a presence detector – in other words, one that improves the use of daylight even if there is only one detector installed in a room. A first example of how it works is provided by the DUO DALI presence detectors in the COMPACT series from ESYLUX, which control two light channels in broadcast mode.
DUO DALI for two light channels
Classrooms are a typical application for DUO DALI presence detectors. These rooms generally have windows on only one side, which creates the perfect conditions for an offset, as the lighting required in the zone near the windows differs massively from the zone further away.
The two zones are, therefore, each allocated to a different light channel of the DUO DALI. To enable both light channels to be controlled through the offset, an adjustment must be made using the remote control or the ESY-App.
This requires a fixed offset between channel 2, the zone away from the windows, and channel 1, the window side. The optimal size of the offset depends on the actual room situation, but in many cases, it is 30 %, as used here as an example.
Control any time of the day
As the daylight entering the classroom increases during the morning, the detector initially dims only the lights near the window. The zone away still needs 100% light output. When the light output from the lights near the window falls to 70%, an offset of 30% has been reached. The detector then starts to dim the lights away from the window.
To read the full feature from Core, check out Ireland’s Electrical Magazine Issue 96 Apr-May here!
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