Dynalite managing director John Gunton calls for the illumination automation industry to rethink the way it does business, particularly presence sensing.

A complete revolution in illumination management, particularly presence sensing, is essential for environmentally and commercially viable lighting systems of the future, says lighting automation technology group Dynalite.

Dynalite designs and manufactures lighting control and building automation technologies, providing easily integrated solutions for architectural lighting control, home automation and energy management.

Managing director John Gunton is urging the lighting industry to rethink three main elements of illumination management: the nature of presence sensing, the granularity and physical location of presence and illumination-level sensors, and the ability of tenants to control lighting at an individual work-area level.

The ongoing issue of building system sustainability has the global lighting industry searching for eco-friendly lighting solutions.

John points out that, apart from the obvious environmental implications, lighting energy efficiency has rent return and tenant qualification implications for building developers.

“Quality tenants are demanding high levels of building energy efficiency, and lighting energy is a major component of this,” he says.

“The most energy-efficient light is the one that’s turned off. Lighting energy management is therefore the solution – the problem is that few are doing this well.”

Optimal lighting energy management comes down to providing a high degree of control – so-called granular lighting control systems – with equally granular and innovative presence sensing solutions.

“This provides the most positive indication as to whether, and at what level, lighting is required in the particular area.”

John says sensing technology needs to evolve well beyond today’s conventional approach to meet immediate and future lighting energy management needs.

“Presence sensing has to be revolutionised to the point where it detects individual workers at individual work stations.

“Work station mounting of such advanced sensors, rather than conventional ceiling mount, is the way of the future.”

These could easily be linked back to the lighting control system via the work station IT infrastructure.

“Every work station today has a PC, and each is connected via a local area network. So why not use this in-situ IT infrastructure to relay work station specific illumination management information back to the lighting control system?”

He mentions to two contemporary lighting design strategies that hamstring illumination management: the knee-jerk design approach to use conventional ceiling-mounted presence and illumination level sensors, and a focus on achieving pre-fitout compliance with illumination Standards and specifications in the open-plan configuration, often without consultation with prospective tenants.

“Unfortunately, the norm is to deploy a fairly basic level of ceiling-mounted presence and illumination-level sensors, and these are typically calibrated to pre-tenancy open-plan conditions.

“As a result, subsequent fitout can substantially affect calibration and performance of the illumination management systems.”

Equally problematic is the obsession with sensor ceiling mounting.

Modifying such ceiling-based illumination and occupancy-level sensing once it is in place and the building occupied is prohibitively expensive and disruptive to the tenant.

“The ceiling void should house the lighting and lighting controllers, but that’s where it should stop.

“All interaction with people in the occupied areas must be done more intimately. Ideally it would be integrated into the furnishings and infrastructure in the individual work spaces. It’s the most logical approach.”

Factoring in the tenant’s needs – now and in the future – is vital.

“Developers and lighting designers need to think outside the square, to design lighting systems that actually empower individual tenants to control their lighting environment and reduce their energy burn.

“The lighting design challenge is to embrace such tenant empowerment – to ultimately design in a legacy that will permit future generations of tenants to take true control of the lighting and do the real work in saving energy.”