As a facilities manager, you know how important it is to understand what’s happening with the latest technology. Smart lighting is changing how we think about and manage our workplaces.
Smart lighting is an offshoot of the Internet of Things, which is exploding in popularity as more devices get online. John Greenough at Business Insider looked at the growth in IoT devices and estimates there will be more than 34 billion connected devices by 2020, more than three times as many as there are now. His forecast suggests that more than $6 trillion will be spent on the IoT over the next five years.
With 19% of US energy production being used for lighting, moving your workplace to energy-efficient solutions such as smart lighting means you can significantly reduce your costs and your organization’s environmental impact.
Outwardly, moving to smart lighting systems might seem like a small step, but the potential gains are huge.
Cost is Driving Massive Growth in the Internet of Lights
The growth in smart lighting could be even more dramatic than that seen with the IoT in general. Gartner predicts that the number of smart lighting devices will increase from 50 million units in 2015 to 2.5 billion units in 2020, a 50-fold increase. With nearly 500 million square feet of commercial space already using smart lighting, these devices are going to be everywhere.
What’s fuelling this extraordinary growth? As you’d expect, saving money is the main factor, with some studies showing energy cost reductions of up to 90%. According to Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine, around 39% of all energy used in a commercial building is for lighting. This means facilities managers can expect to see rapid returns on investment from putting smart lighting systems in place, possibly in as quickly as two years.
Smart LED lighting and installation costs have dropped significantly, too. “Intelligent lighting components can be purchased today for approximately $50 per unit — compared with an average of $120 per unit a few years back,” Dan Probst at Facility Executive says. The rapid growth in smart lighting systems has driven down prices for sensors and other parts of the system, too.
These price drops are making a strong business case for smart lighting. At some very near point, it will become equally expensive to replace a facility’s older fluorescent lights. Meanwhile, the Mobile, Alabama school district, which has 89 different facilities, reports it will be saving “tens of millions” in the next 5–10 years by installing smart lighting.
The Core Benefits of Smart Lighting
The benefits of smart lighting aren’t just limited to cost. There are several other areas where it’s making a big difference:
Monitoring
You can learn how your buildings are used at any point during the day or night, including lighting requirements and energy use. The central control system reports on building occupancy, light levels, and energy use on a moment-to-moment basis.
Fine-Tuned Controls
Smart systems let you remotely control every aspect of your facilities, leading to reduced staff and maintenance costs. “Wireless networked control systems bring smart lighting with control strategies such as task tuning, daylight harvesting and scheduling to deliver demand-based lighting optimized for each zone,” Sachin Andhare at Daintree says.
Interconnectedness
Smart lighting is highly interconnected. This means it’s easier to understand what’s going on and allows you to react to potential issues quickly. Bluetooth-enabled lighting can even track equipment throughout your buildings, making asset management much easier.
Less Environmental Impact
The reduction in energy usage is good for the environment. This means a smaller carbon footprint, helping your business achieve its green credentials.
How Smart Lighting Works: The Essential Parts of the System
There are several key parts to installing an intelligent lighting system:
- Replacing existing fixtures and bulbs with smart, LED fixtures.
- Installing sensors to detect occupancy and light levels.
- Putting a centralized control system in place.
Normal incandescent or fluorescent lighting is inefficient and expensive. Replacing it with smart lighting fixtures and LED lighting doesn’t just reduce energy costs. It also means less maintenance. LED lamps typically last 10 times longer than other lighting, meaning much less time and money spent on replacing faulty equipment.
Smart LED lighting systems contain sensors that analyze a room, including activity and number of people. In some cases, IT teams can analyze this data and make adjustments; in others, the lights themselves can be programmed to make those adjustments automatically.
“The average savings from occupancy sensors alone could total up to about 35 percent, saving both energy and money,” The Luxul Technology Blog points out.
Smart Lighting is Just Part of the Solution
Intelligent lighting is but one part of a smart building, though. Smart lighting works best when it’s developed alongside a new building’s design. That way, the lighting system can coordinate with the rest of the BAS to let in as much sunlight as possible and create spaces where natural light can be used effectively.
FacilitiesNet highlights a fascinating case study in which the Van Andel Institute combined great architectural design, a huge glass roof that lets in plenty of natural light, and an intelligent building system. That project achieved LEED Platinum status in 2011.
“Van Andel Institute’s Phase II building incorporates a multitude of green initiatives beyond what seemed possible for a research institute just a few short years ago,” CEO David Van Andel said.
This is Only the Beginning
Although smart technology has come a long way, it’s continually innovating. As E. Fred Schubert, Professor of the Future Chips Constellation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, predicted back in 2004: “Revolutionary lighting systems will provide an entirely new means of sensing and broadcasting information. By blinking far too rapidly for any human to notice, the light will pick up data from sensors and carry it from room to room, reporting such information as the location of every person within a high-security building.”
Smart lighting is here to stay. With its combination of energy savings, improved maintenance costs, greater security, and reduced environmental impact, there are lots of compelling reasons to bring it into your buildings.
Credits:
Paul DufourDiz Play
Tiago Aguiar
