Sustainable and energy-efficient technologies are now an essential consideration in commercial building design. There is an ever-increasing choice of green energy management options.

From more sustainable lighting and power control to harnessing natural daylight for commercial spaces. We take a closer look at some of the latest environmentally-friendly lighting and energy management options for commercial buildings.

A leader in connected LED lighting systems and software, Signify, has launched Interact, an IoT connected lighting platform that can turn commercial spaces into smart, sustainable environments.

Interact works by simply installing LED connected lighting from Signify with embedded IoT sensors. Users can then use the Interact software to gain valuable insights which will ultimately create a more energy-efficient space.

Deployed in the physical lighting infrastructure overhead, sensors can detect events and gather data on a wide range of factors, including daylighting levels, temperature and humidity. The system then uses this data to adjust HVAC and lighting use automatically. Less artificial light and more cooling might be required as the space fills with afternoon sunlight, with the reverse requirements in the evening. Sensors can also collect occupancy data, which can then be analysed over time to accurately target HVAC and lighting usage. After all, why should you heat a corridor, an area, or even an entire floor if nobody is using it?

The lighting management software means users can take complete control of lighting across multiple floors, buildings, or sites. Interact uses lighting infrastructure and real-time occupancy data to achieve hyper-accurate indoor navigation. An intuitive dashboard simplifies the user interface with the lighting systems and allows the user to optimise lighting operations remotely.

Hoogvliet supermarket in the Netherlands has created a more energy-efficient in-store environment in its new store with the installation of LED lighting and sensors controlled by Interact Signify’s Interact software.

The new lighting system enhances the shopper experience while helping the store reduce costs and improve operations.

“We can now display all our products in the best possible way by varying light levels. This wireless system allows us to save on installation and material costs, and on energy - huge benefits that Interact Retail has pleasantly surprised us with,” Construction and technology project manager at Hoogvliet Marco Brienen says.

Hoogvliet says ease of installation and maintenance, combined with the low cost of materials were key advantages to choosing Interact. This is because the system uses sensors to connect lighting to the meter box with wireless group controls, avoiding the use of cables, which can be costly and complex to install.

Software applications add further value for Hoogvliet.

With Interact Retail Lighting management software, automated schedules ensure light levels match opening hours or can be adjusted to harvest available daylight. Areas of the store that are used very little, such as the employee cafeteria, can remain unlit when not in use, resulting in energy savings and cost reduction.

Energy optimisation software lets the store monitor energy usage and provides the insight needed to optimise operations and reduce costs, while the Interact dashboard allows store managers to easily monitor system status and provides notification in case of a luminaire failure.

“With Interact Retail, we now provide Hoogvliet with a much better service. We immediately see in the store app where we need to make adjustments. This saves a lot of time,” Technical director at Waterman Installation Rold Drach says.

The software also means LED lighting can be used to create zones for different departments throughout the store, ensuring an interesting and unique shopping experience. Varying light levels can also help engage shoppers and guide them further into the store.

Another green innovation in commercial lighting is balancing collective needs with individual needs. According to Dyson, this has resulted in a renewed focus on task lighting. Task lighting can supply high-intensity light where it is needed, rather than indiscriminately around the whole space. So rather than inefficiently illuminating the entire space with 500 lux, the ambient level could be reduced to 300 lux with supplementary provided lighting through task lights. Well-positioned task lights can provide flexibility and save on energy when they are not in use while providing the right type of light for the right type of space.

Dyson has put this concept into use through their innovative Lightcycle task light. The light features daylight tracking technology, heat pipe cooling and the use of infrared and light sensors to manage light output in line with physical presence and daylight.

Dyson notes that thinking about the quality of the light is also a key principle of human-centric commercial lighting.

“It is important that people have the right light for the task at hand as well as the time of day. When designing the Dyson Lightcycle task light, we took data from over a million measurements of light conditions on the earth’s surface at different times of day and times of the year and found that every location's daylight is unique,” a Dyson Engineer notes.

The Dyson Lightcycle task light’s unique daylight tracking algorithm controls three warm and three cool LEDs that work in tandem to simulate a wide range of daylight colour temperatures from warm 2,700 to a cool 6,500 Kelvin – to provide the right light for the time of day.

However, without proper cooling, LEDs can overheat – causing deteriorations of light quality which can impact the life span of the light and lead to unnecessary electrical waste. To avoid this the Dyson Lightcycle task light employs Heat Pipe technology: a passive thermal cooling mechanism inspired by satellites. A hollow vacuum-sealed copper tube containing a single droplet of water sits above the LEDs. Through a continuous cycle of capillary action, heat generated by the LEDs is wicked away from the source and into the copper extrusion to act as a heatsink. It provides a non-stop, energy-free cooling cycle. This ensures that light quality can be maintained for up to 60 years which could not be achieved with a light bulb or insufficiently cooled LEDs.

The light also features an infrared movement sensor which switches the light on when someone is near and off once no presence has been detected for several minutes. Meanwhile, an ambient light sensor gauges changing background levels of light and responds by gently adjusting light levels to keep your space at a constant brightness.

Lighting designer Dominic Meyrick, a Partner at Hoare Lea used Dyson Lightcycle task lights when tasked with rejuvenating the lighting for LTS Architects’ new office space in London.

Dominic said he advised on their lighting scheme to try out “new ideas about how an office could be lit to save energy, while creating a comfortable, attractive visual impression”.

The new office comprises a ground floor containing the main workspaces and a small meeting room, while the basement level is designed around a long meeting table set beneath a timber slatted ceiling, lit by an internal skylight.

“We brought 13 Dyson Lightcycle task lights from LTS’s old office,” he says.

“These are the only ‘feature’ light fittings in the interior and give the task lighting on each desk. “Having been a lighting designer for more than 30 years, I am happy to admit that while I love their light, I ‘hate’ light fittings as too often they distract from the architectural character of an interior,” he commented.

“However, in this office, the Dyson task light is part of the ‘desk architecture’ and so is a visual enhancement rather than a distraction”.

Another environmentally friendly lighting solution is one that harnesses the most energy-efficient light source on the planet: daylight. Solatube Australia provides green energy light solutions through their tubular daylighting devices (TDDs) which deliver the highest quality natural light with the best colour rendition to any space, regardless of building orientation.

The Solatube Daylighting System captures sunlight on the rooftop and redirects it down a reflective tube into interior spaces. The tubing fits between rafters and can be installed easily with no structural modification. This in turn provides ambient light for offices, schools or high-volume areas. The goal of tubular daylighting technology is to create consistent lighting throughout the entire year. Standard skylights will provide huge spikes of light and heat during the summer while often not meeting the minimum lighting requirements during the winter. Tubular Daylighting systems overcome such issues by rejecting overpowering summer sunlight and using lens systems to increase capture of winter sunlight.

UV is another important issue commonly associated with traditional skylights and windows. Solatube products are unique as a combination between their dome and INFRAREDuction technology removes the harmful portions of UV and heat while transferring beautiful natural light.

This form of natural lighting can offset overhead artificial lighting for more than 80% of the daylight hours in a year without having a negative effect on the energy efficiency of a building or its occupants.

Solatube carries a full range of TDD’s to suit any building type or size offering full daylight control through their 0-10v dimmer.

Solatube were able to provide a unique energy efficient lighting solution at Mammoth Park within the Viminacium Archaeological Park in Eastern Serbia. The Park is set in an underground cave where visitors can see exposed skeletons of a female mammoth found in 2009, as well as the remains of her four young relatives. After a million years spent beneath the Drmno mine, the Viminacium mammoths (the oldest residents of the EU continent), are now on display to the public in a layer of sand in which they were discovered.

Experts at the Natural History Museum in Belgrade carried out the restoration and conservation of the Mammoth, followed by the construction of a protective structure allowing visitor accessibility, 5.8 metres below ground. Cooperation with the Institute of Archaeology required proper lighting without damaging UV exposure for the mammoth skeleton and proper air flow of the underground space. This was achieved using Solatube Daylighting Systems which provided enough natural light with minimal thermal impact to the underground cave, creating the best possible environment for visitors and employees. To maximise daylight the product selected was the Solatube SolaMaster Series 330 DS with 1.2 metre long tubes and Solar Star ventilation units added.

“Solatube Daylighting Systems gave us the best solution for our delicate, million year old mammoth skeleton,” Director of the park, Miomir Korac says.

“Any UV radiation could cause great damage to our mammoth fossils, which are one of the best-preserved skeletons of this extinct species in the world. Mammoth Park is now an exceptional location to attract tourists and enables younger generations to learn about the very distant past in an interesting and modern manner,” he says.

“The object of the geo heritage site is a unique open book course in geology, archeology and history on our soil, now combined with new and innovative green technologies, such as Solatube Daylighting systems”.

More sustainable lighting and energy solutions are a key consideration of any commercial build. With many innovative options now available, designers have a great selection of green solutions to present to clients.

Image: Solatube Daylighting Systems gave is the best solution for a million year old mammoth skeleton. / Supplied

SUPPLIERS

Signify: Home | Signify Company Website

Dyson: Dyson: Technology for business | Architecture & Design (architectureanddesign.com.au)

Solatube Australia: Solatube Australia | Architecture & Design (architectureanddesign.com.au)

Nathalie Craig

Let-there-be-sustainable-light-1732061815.png

Let’s connect!