As people say, need is the mother of invention. Historically, since the kerosene lamp era, the way we produce and deliver light has been constantly improving - each iteration addresses the challenges posed by the former. The incandescent bulb invented by Edison in 1880 is a huge leap forward, more economical, more convenient and safer than the widely used gas lamps. Today, we continue to look for ways to further reduce lighting costs and use energy more wisely.
Internet of Things Lighting is the latest game rule changer. As an industry, its market value is expected to grow to $4.5 billion by 2026. It is also known as the "subversive force of the lighting industry". So what is Internet of Things lighting? How can commercial buildings benefit from it?
Intelligent Lighting Based on Internet of Things
As business owners and facility managers become more aware of the efficient use of energy, the more likely they are to implement some type of lighting control system. Many of these systems already exist, and sometimes as part of the building management system, the ability to create a fixed timetable for lights (turn it off when no one else is available) can help save energy and reduce costs.
The lighting system of the Internet of Things goes a step further. Imagine a few minutes before the meeting, when the lights automatically turn on, or how long customers stand in the aisle of a retail store and what they are looking at. These things can be achieved by lighting on the Internet of Things.
Intelligent lighting in the Internet of Things uses wireless switches and does not require the lighting switches to be embedded in luminaires. These bulbs are then connected to a network that allows them to be monitored from the cloud. Through a network or mobile application, you can manage individual lights or groups of lights according to occupancy, outdoor light level and time of day; you can also control dimming and color. Smart lamps like this can also transmit real-time information about lighting damage and burnout.
Because light bulbs are ubiquitous in buildings, these networked light bulbs are also an excellent way to collect additional building data. Sensors can be embedded in fixtures to collect and transmit information about facilities, including room occupancy, air quality and temperature. The more information you get about how buildings are used, the more capable you are to manage them more effectively.
Some potential uses of Internet of Things lighting in commercial facilities:
Lighting-based indoor positioning system: At the end of 2017, Target achieved indoor positioning using Bluetooth chip embedded in LED headlights. Customers can access interactive store maps through mobile phones, which guide customers in the aisle to find the goods they want.
Asset tracking: For key assets marked with sensors, Internet of Things lighting can locate them based on the signals they emit.
Monitoring the condition of perishable goods: Goods requiring specific environmental conditions (such as temperature and humidity) can benefit from intelligent lighting solutions that can continuously monitor storage rooms or areas. Alerts can be set to monitor anomalies and prevent deterioration.
Space utilization: Internet of Things lighting can collect occupancy data, and then analysis to optimize building use. Analysis of these data can help you better manage your space and respond to underutilization or overutilization.
Intelligent Lighting Strategy Begins with LED
Whether you are considering implementing intelligent lighting systems based on the Internet of Things or not, it is wise to evaluate the most basic elements of lighting strategies: bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are still widely used, but with the advent of LED, this situation is changing.
Essentially, LED bulbs produce more light than traditional bulbs. When they were first introduced, they emitted more "cold" white light. Today, they can provide the same natural "warm" light as incandescent lamps.
Many companies around the world have turned to LED, which can easily be installed in the existing lighting equipment of most commercial buildings. The reason for their installation is that LEDs save up to 75% more energy than incandescent bulbs, have a life span of more than 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and generally produce better light quality than incandescent bulbs. In addition to cost savings in energy use, many power companies also offer energy-saving subsidies as incentives for companies to revamp their LEDs. Lighting modifications are often considered the easiest to achieve, because they can help significantly reduce energy consumption immediately and easily.
LED lighting is not only suitable for office buildings, but also for almost all other types of commercial facilities.
Warehouses and industrial environments: Large places like these benefit from LED lighting because they consume less energy, and LED lights can emit light in specific directions (unlike incandescent and fluorescent lamps).
Indoor farms: Some high-tech farms around the world are using LED lights to optimize plant growth. They do this by customizing light "recipes" and can influence how plants grow and how they taste.
Commercial parking lot: For safety purposes, lighting quality is critical in indoor and outdoor parking facilities. In addition to saving money, safety is also one of the reasons why parking lot lighting has become one of the fastest growing LED commercial lighting markets.
Medical care facilities: Medical care facilities are designed in part for the comfort of patients. LED lighting helps to create ideal light output for the environment, while improving efficiency.
Correctional facilities: Correctional facilities have a variety of lighting needs, from cells and activity rooms to lounges and corridors. LED lights do not interfere with security and cameras, they can maintain uniform, high-quality light, thereby improving visibility.
Educational facilities: LED lights are very suitable for schools with limited budgets, and the energy savings can be re-used for technical and other educational resources.
Retail Facilities: More and more retailers are using LED lighting to add aesthetic and visual appeal to their stores, thus creating an excellent shopping experience. Proper in-store lighting can increase sales.
Because LED lights are naturally friendly to digital control, they are very suitable for networking applications. Internet of Things LED lighting is an ideal way to achieve maximum savings and gain valuable operational insights, which can improve all aspects of your building management.
Are you interested in reducing energy costs for buildings?
Optimizing building lighting systems is a good way to start saving money, but you can also take other measures to reduce utility costs. In addition to the LED lighting renovation, there are two simplest intelligent building solutions (as well as the most economical solutions): automated demand response and automated ventilation demand control, which we will discuss in the next article, please look forward to!