New Wireless Lighting Technology Cuts Energy Costs by up to 60%

[Erik Sine]

New Wireless Lighting Technology Cuts Energy Costs by up to 60%

by Joe Eitel, November 11, 2007

Not only will this new lighting technology save on actual energy costs, but it will also save companies money by not having to wire their entire buildings, because the system is wireless. Right now, this technology is aimed at office buildings and larger companies who already have very high energy costs, but it will surely migrate to residential homes in the near future.

The Intu: 360° Workspace Agility system works by using a network of sensors, nodes, and frequencies within an area. The nodes are about the size of a brick and are attached to the lighting fixtures, and they communicate with each other through low-frequency radio signals. The sensors are about the size of a hockey puck, and they are placed in strategic locations around a room to detect lighting, temperature levels, or even locations of equipment within a room. The entire system is controlled by computer which can be done on or off site.

Companies are already seeing the usefulness of a lighting system such as this one. A company by the name of Saddle Creek in Lakeland, Florida operates 15 warehouses in that area. Industrial engineer/manager at Saddle Creek, Tom Nepute says, "The intriguing part is the flexibility to set schedules of the lights to the schedule of the work force. For example, lights that would shut off in certain areas at the end of shifts or breaks. I could do what we call zoning off the warehousing."

Light Corp. is the first company to offer this kind of wireless lighting technology on such a grand scale. They're confident that this new technology will help to grow their $36 million dollar business, and also help to place them ahead of their main competitors: GE, Phillips, and Lutron Electronics Inc.

Source: Grand Rapids Press

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[manuellynch]

That is pretty interesting and useful technology. I know that hotels are considering using this type of technology for parking garage lighting. The military has already started using this type of technology on bases to reduce power consumption.

There are several new control technologies like this coming to the market that can actually make incandescent technology more energy efficient and longer lifetime than compact fluorescent.

This type of dynamic lighting would be great and more readily accepted in the sign industry if there didnt have to be the computer/programming porition of it. There is a lot of opportunities in ATM lighting where the ATM could dynamically adjust based on time, surrounding light levels, and any people nearby...or needs to meet safety code.