New generation monitoring and management systems for indoor lighting and LED solutions are bringing significant benefits to social housing. Tim McKernan from Harvard Technology explains.
Lighting, which can accounts for as much as 40 per cent of a building’s electricity bill, has been a constant source of concern for social housing landlords. Faced with the prospect of rising energy costs, the sector is turning to LED lighting to cut energy bills and meet crackdowns on CO2 emissions.
The issue is compounded by the strict emergency lighting regulations in the social housing sector which call for ongoing monthly site visits in order to conduct emergency tests. Consequently, pressure to find a solution to cut costs and improve performance has been growing from end-users, with innovative industry leaders now offering customers tailor-made solutions.
These feature the latest energy-saving LED technologies and indoor lighting control systems which also bring the benefit of reduced maintenance bills and CO2 emissions.
Peabody takes control of lighting
Peabody, which has established local partnerships with local authorities across London, achieved impressive results through an integrated LED lighting solution, combined with controls to maximise energy and cost savings. Peabody aimed to decrease energy usage while at the same time meeting the strict emergency lighting regulations required in the sector.
Equally fundamental was offering tenants the benefits of a better illuminated, safer environment. Peabody turned to Harvard Technology and fixture designer and manufacturer Fern Howard, to revolutionise its lighting portfolio. Together they designed an integrated LED lighting system with a wireless enabled bulkhead fixture, which could link with Harvard Technology’s EyeNut system, enabling users to monitor and manage their interior lighting with multi-site control from a single hub – an attractive option for those responsible for multi-site lighting operations.
Not only did the system allow the HA to wirelessly manage and monitor indoor lighting, but it also eliminated the requirement for monthly site visits by automating monthly and annual emergency tests that are needed to comply with regulation. In the social housing sector, this was a particularly key benefit.
Phase one of the project saw 80 bulkhead fixtures installed in two blocks of social housing, 70 per cent of which were fitted with this emergency feature, which through the CLZ40E EyeNut enabled driver, allows for the automation of all emergency protocols. Moreover, the HA was able to achieve full compliance with the strict legal requirements regarding emergency lighting in social housing, as all the results of automatically scheduled functional and duration testing are exported for audit tracking.
EyeNut gives full control of lighting within the blocks through the system’s graphic user interface (GUI). Energy ‘hot spots’ are flagged-up on the system through the mapping tool, as are usage patterns, allowing the most effective energy strategy to be deployed. Luminaires can be switched or dimmed collectively, or individually, and scheduled to activate lighting where and when it is most needed. With the data reporting function, efficiency strategies can be implemented as facilities managers are informed of energy saved in kilowatt hours and pounds.
Also, lamp failures or abnormal behaviour is swiftly reported, which can then be promptly investigated, enabling tenants to feel more comfortable as concerns over dimly lit areas within and around the outside of buildings on housing estates can be addressed immediately. Since the installation, Peabody has achieved energy savings of 44 per cent. A significant figure which could be boosted further to 50 per cent with the planned addition of enhanced dimming and sensor control features.
Bristol City Council cuts costs
In a more specific example, the benefits of LED solutions for social housing have been demonstrated at a Bristol City Council sheltered housing scheme. The council faced ever-increasing running costs across its social housing and decided to tackle the drain on resources from Butler House, a 1960s high-rise that has been adapted into sheltered housing for older people.
The council substituted the outdated lighting with LED, with the added functionality maximising the benefits of the new installation. The chosen solution incorporated fittings from the specialist fixture designer and manufacturer, Fern-Howard, powered by LED drivers and light engines from Harvard Technology.
The driver, chosen from the CoolLED range is used in conjunction with modular light engines which are compatible with DALI and 1-10 V dimming. A total of 60 original 1962 fixtures, located within corridors and stairwells, were replaced with a low-glare LED solution and a new nonoccupancy dimming function, enabled by Harvard Technology LED drivers and light engines.
This combination delivered significant energy and maintenance savings and a payback on investment of just 21 months. The solution has eliminated the need for monthly site visits to inspect every fixture, and allows for remote testing with full assurance and compliance.
Any warnings in the system are flagged up for speedy attention and the results of automatically scheduled functional and duration testing are exported for audit tracking and delivered by email. Harsh light spots commonly associated with inferior LEDs have been banished and the elegant new luminaires provide well-modulated and efficient light.
The drivers and light engines enable each of the 60 lights, of 1,600 lumens, to dim to 10 per cent when corridors are unoccupied. The new luminaires’ lifespan of 50,000 hours means there will be no need to replace lamps for seven years. As result of the new installation Bristol Council is saving £5,300 per annum in energy and maintenance costs from the project.
It has also brought an annual CO2 reduction of four tonnes. Both projects show successful collaboration between experts that led to innovative integrated solutions, maximising lighting efficiencies and versatility across social housing projects in a cost-effective way.
Tim McKernan is head of OEM Sales at Harvard Technology
This feature was published in the September 2016 issue of Housing Management & Maintenance.
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