Many Condominium Corporations think of lighting
as the easiest way to attain savings on a large scale. The obvious reason being
the fact that the majority of the lights in a Condominium must remain on at all
times, or do they? This question and several others will be addressed in this
article.
Many common areas within your Condominium are
illuminated at all times. With recent bylaw changes, we are seeing more occupancy sensor control being utilized
within the Condominiums around the GTA. This can result in a huge amount of
energy being saved for the building. A main concern for residents was the fear
of excessive darkness in places such as parking garages, but the building code
states that even when we utilize occupancy sensors we must maintain an average
standby lighting level of at least 10 lux or 1 fc. This usually is based on the
emergency circuit lighting being on at all times. Now occupancy sensors can’t
be implemented everywhere. Currently lobbies and stairwells must be illuminated
at all times.
When looking at implementing occupancy sensor technology in an area such as a parking garage, we must first ascertain whether or not the current lighting in the garage can be controlled via sensors. High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting such as, High Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide, cannot be controlled via occupancy sensors due to the necessary re-strike time of the fixtures. The fixtures must cool down before being powered back on and this obviously does not lend itself to occupancy sensors. This leads us to upgrading the lighting pre- occupancy sensor implementation. There are three great options that can be looked at as a plausible replacement for HID lighting: fluorescent, induction, or LED.
Fluorescent lighting is a phenomenal option for garages since they are inexpensive, efficient, easy to maintain and have a relatively long lifespan. Most T8 fluorescent lamps are rated for more than 30,000 hours, assuming a runtime of at least 12 hours a day or only 2 off cycles per day. What drastically shortens the lamp and ballasts lifespan is repeated on/off cycles. After reading that last sentence, you may write off the use of occupancy sensors with fluorescent lighting, but that is not necessarily the case if you use the correct ballast. The use of program start ballast allows for soft starting of the lamps and circumvents the shortfalls of occupancy controlled fluorescent lighting. You may also be thinking that your Condominium already has fluorescent lighting so you are set, but that is not necessarily the case. If you have a relatively well lit garage and 4 lamp fluorescent fixtures (normal ballast factor), this can retrofitted to a 2 lamp High Ballast Factor fixture, this will provide plenty of lumens while only needing to maintain 2 lamps per fixture. This retrofit can also be used to convert a 2 lamp 4’ fixture to a single lamp 4’ fixture. The high ballast factor will over charge the lamps and create higher lumens output while increasing the energy consumption as well. Even with the higher energy consumption, the fixture will consume a fraction of what it consumed prior to changing the ballasts!
Another great alternative to HID lighting is the implementation of Induction lighting. Induction technology, although relatively unknown in comparison to fluorescent and even LED lighting, has been around since the 19th century. Originally discovered by Nikola Tesla, the premise of an induction fixture is much like the fluorescent fixture highlighted earlier. The power necessary to generate light is transferred from outside the lamp to inside via electromagnetic fields as opposed to a physical electrical connection from outside the lamp to within the lamp. The benefits to this technology are impressive, namely, longer life spans and lower energy consumptions. This type of light source can be retrofitted into an existing HID fixture or a new induction fixture can be installed as a replacement for the older HID fixtures. Induction is an instant on fixture with no re-strike time, thus, lending itself to the installation of occupancy sensors.
LED (light emitting diode) is the next big thing when talking lighting, even though it too has been around for quite some time. It was first mass produced in the 1960’s, even though this was 30-40 years after the first LED was created. Today, LED’s are gaining in popularity. The long lifespan combined with low lumens depreciation and high lumens per watt make it a great option for many Condominium Corporations looking to step away from HID. Another plus which neither fluorescent nor induction can claim, is a complete lack of mercury found in the lamp/fixture, which make the LED the greenest option of the three. Its instant start capabilities make LED a fine option for occupancy sensor control as well. The one sticking point plaguing LED’s in the past is the high sticker price. The overall price of LED’s have plunged in recent years due to the larger lighting suppliers dedicating upwards of 90% of their research funding to advance LED lighting technologies as opposed to advancing other types of lighting. This has resulted in better products and much lower pricing than what was around as little as two years ago.
One of the main issues we stumble upon when visiting sites throughout the year is the belief that one should wait for the failure of the existing equipment before implementing an energy efficient retrofit. The “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality may work in many facets of life, energy efficient retrofits is not one of them. While you wait for your current equipment to fail whether it is HVAC, lighting, etc, you may be paying twice the energy costs for a fraction of the overall quality.
All retrofits highlighted above are eligible for incentives through the Ontario Power Authority. Lighting - where to begin? Call Provident Energy and we can help you decide!
When looking at implementing occupancy sensor technology in an area such as a parking garage, we must first ascertain whether or not the current lighting in the garage can be controlled via sensors. High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting such as, High Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide, cannot be controlled via occupancy sensors due to the necessary re-strike time of the fixtures. The fixtures must cool down before being powered back on and this obviously does not lend itself to occupancy sensors. This leads us to upgrading the lighting pre- occupancy sensor implementation. There are three great options that can be looked at as a plausible replacement for HID lighting: fluorescent, induction, or LED.
Fluorescent lighting is a phenomenal option for garages since they are inexpensive, efficient, easy to maintain and have a relatively long lifespan. Most T8 fluorescent lamps are rated for more than 30,000 hours, assuming a runtime of at least 12 hours a day or only 2 off cycles per day. What drastically shortens the lamp and ballasts lifespan is repeated on/off cycles. After reading that last sentence, you may write off the use of occupancy sensors with fluorescent lighting, but that is not necessarily the case if you use the correct ballast. The use of program start ballast allows for soft starting of the lamps and circumvents the shortfalls of occupancy controlled fluorescent lighting. You may also be thinking that your Condominium already has fluorescent lighting so you are set, but that is not necessarily the case. If you have a relatively well lit garage and 4 lamp fluorescent fixtures (normal ballast factor), this can retrofitted to a 2 lamp High Ballast Factor fixture, this will provide plenty of lumens while only needing to maintain 2 lamps per fixture. This retrofit can also be used to convert a 2 lamp 4’ fixture to a single lamp 4’ fixture. The high ballast factor will over charge the lamps and create higher lumens output while increasing the energy consumption as well. Even with the higher energy consumption, the fixture will consume a fraction of what it consumed prior to changing the ballasts!
Another great alternative to HID lighting is the implementation of Induction lighting. Induction technology, although relatively unknown in comparison to fluorescent and even LED lighting, has been around since the 19th century. Originally discovered by Nikola Tesla, the premise of an induction fixture is much like the fluorescent fixture highlighted earlier. The power necessary to generate light is transferred from outside the lamp to inside via electromagnetic fields as opposed to a physical electrical connection from outside the lamp to within the lamp. The benefits to this technology are impressive, namely, longer life spans and lower energy consumptions. This type of light source can be retrofitted into an existing HID fixture or a new induction fixture can be installed as a replacement for the older HID fixtures. Induction is an instant on fixture with no re-strike time, thus, lending itself to the installation of occupancy sensors.
LED (light emitting diode) is the next big thing when talking lighting, even though it too has been around for quite some time. It was first mass produced in the 1960’s, even though this was 30-40 years after the first LED was created. Today, LED’s are gaining in popularity. The long lifespan combined with low lumens depreciation and high lumens per watt make it a great option for many Condominium Corporations looking to step away from HID. Another plus which neither fluorescent nor induction can claim, is a complete lack of mercury found in the lamp/fixture, which make the LED the greenest option of the three. Its instant start capabilities make LED a fine option for occupancy sensor control as well. The one sticking point plaguing LED’s in the past is the high sticker price. The overall price of LED’s have plunged in recent years due to the larger lighting suppliers dedicating upwards of 90% of their research funding to advance LED lighting technologies as opposed to advancing other types of lighting. This has resulted in better products and much lower pricing than what was around as little as two years ago.
One of the main issues we stumble upon when visiting sites throughout the year is the belief that one should wait for the failure of the existing equipment before implementing an energy efficient retrofit. The “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality may work in many facets of life, energy efficient retrofits is not one of them. While you wait for your current equipment to fail whether it is HVAC, lighting, etc, you may be paying twice the energy costs for a fraction of the overall quality.
All retrofits highlighted above are eligible for incentives through the Ontario Power Authority. Lighting - where to begin? Call Provident Energy and we can help you decide!
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