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Lighting Controls and Occupant Comfort

For many of us, a good portion of our waking hours is spent in an office. But that doesn’t necessarily mean a standard day should be filled with eight hours (or more) of fully illuminated lighting. Bad lighting, whether it’s too dim or too bright can be detrimental to productivity.

Lighting is one of the most crucial areas in office ergonomics. With lighting control solutions from Legrand’s Wattstopper product line, commercial office spaces can add intelligent lighting solutions to the workplace. Here are a few simple solutions that can bring the bright idea of smart lighting into your space:

Our bodies take in a lot of artificial light, be it from office lights or computer screens and mobile devices. Sometimes we experience glare or more light than we need in our general work areas. There are lighting solution products that help us adjust the amount of artificial lighting by allowing office occupants to dim the lights for meetings, presentations, or for comfort.

Dimming sensors like the Wattstopper PW-311 Passive Infrared 0-10 Volt Dimming Wall Switch Occupancy Sensor not only provides occupancy-based control, but also allows occupants to dim LED lighting fixtures to any level throughout a workday. This not only provides visual comfort, but allows occupants to easily dim the lighting to their preference. The sensor will also automatically turn off lighting when the room is unoccupied, providing considerable energy savings.

A common energy drain in commercial office spaces are lights left on in empty rooms. The solution for larger spaces is to combine a ceiling sensor such as the Wattstopper CI-305 Passive Infrared Ceiling Sensor or theDT-305 Dual Technology Ceiling Sensor – which boasts 360-degree coverage with a BZ-150 Power Pack. Together they work in a variety of applications such as open office spaces, large offices, and conference rooms giving peace of mind to building owners and managers knowing that the lights are automatically turned off when rooms are vacant.

Other products, like the DCLV Wall Dimmer also allow occupants to dim the lights to various levels throughout the day, but with the added benefit of utilizing a simple interface for occupants.

When commercial office spaces lose power and occupants must evacuate the building, there is a high risk of danger for occupants going down a dark staircase or hallway. By law, a commercial facility is required to have at least 20 percent of its lighting running during a power outage and emergency situations. Legrand’s ELCU, which interfaces with fire alarm panels or security systems, is designed exactly for that situation, keeping 20 percent of the lighting on in any scenario.

In addition, the ability to blend technologies and strategies for intelligent lighting solutions exist now. Legrand’s commitment to designing beyond lighting code requirements is seen in its development and expansion of Human Centric Lighting and Digital Lighting Management solutions. Shading strategies such as Daylight Harvesting can be integrated with the above solutions to provide a building with gains in sustainability, efficiency, and comfort.

Because people spend so much time in an office space, it is important to have lighting solutions that will not be distracting to occupants while also supporting their needs. With these dimming, sensor, and emergency lighting solutions from Legrand, facility managers are easily able to provide proper lighting levels to their occupants. They will also be granted peace-of-mind knowing that the building’s lighting solutions provide an option for every occupant to feel more comfortable and keep them safe in emergency situations.

More From 8/14/2024 on FacilitiesNet