Page 206 - Alternative Energy Systems in Building Design

182 ENERGY CONSERVATION

■ The provider facilitates free-of-charge remote programming and maintenance of
the central lighting and control from the equipment supplier’s or manufacturer’s
headquarters.
■ The system has optional remote radio communication interfaces that allow for
control of devices at remote locations without the use of conduits and cables.

In some instances, radio control applications can eliminate trenching and cable instal-
lation, which can offset the entire cost of a central control system. Contrary to conven-
tional wiring schemes, where all wires from fixtures merge into switches and lighting
panels, an intelligent lighting-control system such as the one described here makes use
of Type 5 cable (a bundle of four-pair twisted shielded wires), which can interconnect
up to 2400 lighting-control elements. A central control and monitoring unit located in an
office constantly communicates with a number of remotely located intelligent control
boxes that perform the lighting-control measures required by Title 24 and beyond.
Since remote lighting, dimming, and occupancy sensing are actuated by means of
electronically controlled relay contacts, any number of devices such as pumps, outdoor
fixtures, and various numbers of devices with varying voltages could be readily
controlled with the same master station. In addition to providing intelligent master
control, remote station control devices and intelligent wall-mount switches specifically
designed for interfacing with intelligent remote devices provide local lighting- and
dimming-control override. Moreover, a centralized lighting-control system can readily
provide required interlocks between heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC)
systems by means of intelligent thermostats.
Even though central intelligent lighting-control systems such as the one described
here add an initial cost component to conventional wiring, in the long run, the extended
expectancy of lamps, lower maintenance cost, added security, and considerable savings
resulting from energy conservation undoubtedly justify the added initial investment.
In fact, the most valuable feature of the system is flexibility of control and ease of
system expansion and reconfiguration. Deployed in an application such as the Water
and Life Museum project discussed in Chap. 3, such a system should be considered
indispensable.
The major cost components of a centralized lighting-control system consist of the
central and remote-controlled hardware and dimmable fluorescent T8 ballasts. It is a
well-established fact that centralized lighting-control systems pay off in a matter of a
few years and provide a substantial return on investment (ROI) by the sheer savings
on energy consumption. Needless to say, no measure of security can be achieved without
central lighting control.
The automated centralized lighting-control system manufactured by Lighting Control
Design (LCD), and shown in Fig. 5.3, provides typical control components used to
achieve the energy-conservation measures discussed earlier. It should be noted that the
lighting-control components and systems presented in this chapter are also available
from Lutron and several other companies.
Some of the major lighting-system components available for system design and inte-
gration include centralized microprocessor-based lighting-control relays that incorporate