IIoT Lighting for Commercial and Industrial Businesses

While most consumers remain focused on the IoT (Internet of Things), the IIOT (Industrial Internet of Things) continues to grow in the background. With recent developments in the digital, networking, and processing circles, the dream to have smart commercial facilities is now realizable. Intelligent lighting has emerged as the unsung hero of IIOT. Through integrated lighting systems through a network and sensors, smart lighting is quickly earning its preserve in commercial spaces.

IIOT lighting systems are proving a must-have for commercial and industrial spaces for a variety of reasons:

Benefits of IIOT Lighting

Using IIOT lighting, businesses are not only able to control lighting, but the system installed can also provide detailed energy-consumption reports. The reports are essential for companies looking to cut costs by saving energy.

By integrating sensors, the lighting system can detect occupancy and turn on the lights then turn them off when they are not in use. This is a critical measure that can save the business money in energy consumption and minimize running costs.

IIOT lighting also allows you to control the lighting in the entire facility from the palm of your hand. As a facility manager, you can manage all aspects of lighting inside the building using a laptop from across the world.

Using the dashboard connected to the primary device, you can also identify inefficiencies and anomalies in the facility that can help you improve business operations and productivity of employees.

Downsides of IIOT Lighting

There are downsides to everything – even with this revolutionary technology. Weighing both sides of the coin is essential in helping you make an informed decision.

The initial cost of setting up is the most intimidating factor for most facility managers. Even though the cost of setting up the lighting and networking might be significant, maintenance costs are minimal.

Once installed, smart lighting provides an immediate and quantifiable return with documented reports and improved energy consumption. Cumulatively, these savings justify the cost of transitioning into intelligent lighting for the facility and even earn the facility profits.

The Takeaway

The future of intelligent lighting is bright! At the moment, the main goal is to help to run a more energy-efficient facility and save costs. In the future, the technology could be used to raise security alerts, monitor productivity in the workplace, and even keep inventory fresh!

Understanding Lighting Controls

What Are Lighting Controls

Lighting control systems are an intelligent network-based lighting control solution that incorporates communication between various system inputs and outputs related to lighting control with the use of one or more central computing devices. Having a good lighting control system enhances any large warehouse/distribution centers, manufacturing, and cold storage facilities.

How Lighting Controls Can Reduce Energy Consumption And Improve Safety

Lighting controls can reduce energy consumption by being set on timers and only being used when lighting is needed. This could mean light is only used when the sun isn’t out or when there is motion in the building. This could improve safety as well as energy consumption by making sure the area is well lit at all times.

Types Of Lighting Control Motion

Basic lighting controls include motion-sensing technology that will illuminate only when areas are occupied. When zones are vacant, the light automatically dims until spaces are filled again. Other lighting controls include Dimming this can adjust the brightness of the lighting depending on the natural lighting and how much light is needed in the room.

Network Lighting Controls

Network lighting controls can control multiple devices within a building. Every fixture includes an integrated sensor that would allow various capabilities. You can program these control to function as needed. These sensors will not only control the lighting but also the temperature, humidity, power metering, space optimization and more. Network lighting controls can grow and adapt with a business, as they can be reprogrammed at any time

How Relumination Can Help

We can help you install and program lighting controls into your business. We help commercial and industrial companies reduce overhead costs, save electricity, minimize facilities management expenses, and decrease their environmental footprint. Check out our website to learn more about our lighting control and other services.

3 Ways to Improve Energy-Efficiency In Commercial Buildings

Lighting is the largest use of electricity in commercial facilities. With the current pandemic and unpredictable future, saving money is more important than ever. Relumination has helped our customers save more than 4 million dollars to date, and we can help your commercial business too. Here are 3 ways we can increase energy savings and provide a more efficient lighting system for your commercial facility.

1. LED Lights

LED lighting is up to 80% more efficient than traditional lighting. LEDs are also longer lasting than traditional bulbs which will save you the time and energy of having to replace them often. LED lights are cheaper to run because they use significantly less electricity than traditional bulbs, which in return will cut out a large chunk of the electricity bill.

2. Use Sensors

Taking advantage of sensory can help cut down on costs. Using sensors in infrequently used spaces such as restrooms or storage spaces can save money by only running the lights when needed. By only running the lights when the room is occupied employees won’t have to worry about spreading germs through light switches or having to turn off and on the lights while carrying something, all while lowering the electricity bill.

3. Zoning

Most commercial buildings have the lights arranged in the original layout that they were when the building was built. Updating the layout of the lighting can help reduce costs. By rezoning your lighting layout you can take advantage of different types of lighting i.e low hanging and dimming in certain areas to help reduce costs and provide each area with the ideal lighting.

Relumination uses an effective 6 step approach to give each unique facility the best energy-efficient lighting solution. By determining your needs and creating a custom lighting plan, Relumination can increase your energy savings and provide you with a more efficient lighting system.

If you’re ready to trim a bit of your electricity and add to your savings contact Relumination today to get in touch with one of our professionals!

 

 

The Advantages of IoT Controls

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

Facilities managers and production managers always look to maximize ROI on any new system or improvements to an existing one.  Knowing the advantages of IoT controls enables managers to focus on optimizing production, storage, or distribution methods. LED lighting delivers an immediate cost reduction to any facility, but adding specific sensors to the lighting units and linking those sensors to customized software gives managers information about each area, activity, and timing.

By analyzing the data, those managers get insights into everything that is happening 24/7/365 in each part of the facility. The net result is maximum energy efficiency, performance efficiency, and improved safety.

Basic Advantages of IoT

Efficiencies of LED lighting may deliver up to 50% in energy savings. By installing purpose-designed sensors, even greater efficiencies are deliverable. The sensors detect occupancy and movement, so lighting can be reduced or increased as needed. Natural light can be “harvested” which also reduces costs. Because lighting is everywhere in a building, every piece of production and transit equipment, raw and finished stock, as well as people’s locations and movements can be tracked.

This data gives insights into optimum stocking, transport, and investment decisions, so specific questions can answered. For example:

  • Are stock items stored in the most accessible locations?
  • Is in-building movement the most efficient or do forklift drivers, for example, take an unexpected (and longer) route to avoid obstacles no one else is aware of?
  • Would changing inventory locations reduce transit costs and improve productivity?
  • If the sensors show that high energy usage activities are being carried out during maximum kWh-cost periods, can they be rescheduled to lower kWh time slots?
  • Is some production equipment operating less efficiently (resulting in lower output) than comparable equipment? If so, would investing in new plant deliver the right ROI?

Answers to these and other questions all become available by installing the right sensors to the right LED units.

The Takeaway

Smart lighting systems expand to become smart production and distribution processes. Good lighting improves productivity and safety performance. It also, when linked to action which is automatically monitored by overhead sensors, gives management comprehensive insights from the analyzed data.

This enables managers to make sophisticated and accurate decisions about how the facility is run. If you would like to discuss Relumination can support your drive for greater efficiencies, higher productivity, and lower costs, please contact us.

How To Use IoT Controls To Aid Social Distancing In Your Facility

A major issue that businesses and workplaces are facing today is encouraging its workers to abide by social distancing guidelines. In larger facilities, this is not always easy to monitor and can be overwhelming. However, an LED lighting system that utilizes IoT (Internet of Things) technology can put this task at your fingertips and eliminate the need to tour your facility. This technology monitors the people and assets in your facility and reports back to you in real time, and also allows for LED lighting adjustments for worker safety. IoT controls can also make it easier for your employees to meet social distancing guidelines and stay safe.

Social Distancing Controls

Employee Location Monitoring – IoT applications are able to track the location of people in your facility and uses an advanced algorithm to provide accurate data by the room. Employees and others wear tags for tracking purposes which are detected by smart sensors. You can also use these applications to replay data and see where people have been in the past, and whether they have broken any social distancing guidelines. Searches and alerts are also available.

Occupancy Tracking – Other IoT applications make use of location tracking to calculate the occupancy of a specific room or area in your facility. Sensor networks are able to track the movement of your employees and provide accurate views of occupancy in real-time, highlighting problem areas where social distancing isn’t (or cannot be) practiced. These IoT applications can also show where employees tend to congregate over time.

Facility Insight – The ability to sense the lighting levels and occupancy for an entire facility will reveal hidden problem areas and reduce human error. Real-time and historical data is made available in one central location. Monitoring the environment in your facility, or multiple facilities is vital to understanding worker behavior. HVAC failures and other equipment failures can cause workers to abandon social distancing and congregate in more comfortable areas, and alarms can be used to alert you to potential problems before this occurs.

Safety Controls

Advanced Lighting Controls – A wireless IoT system will allow you to easily adjust lighting levels by room and area not only to enhance worker comfort and safety but to encourage workers to practice social distancing in problem areas. Different lighting profiles, made by collecting data on employee movement and occupancy, can be configured by area throughout an entire Smart Building and adjusted accordingly throughout the day.

Fine Tuning – Other IoT apps can allow for occupancy sensing and adjust light levels automatically, and can be used to program the lighting system to dim a problem area progressively during high-occupancy times. These functions can be customized room by room for easy management of social distancing and can be done from virtually any mobile device.

Conclusion

The current health crisis is one that large facilities have never seen before and innovative solutions are needed to protect worker safety, health, and productivity. Using an IoT system with your LED lighting will make monitoring social distancing manageable and offer innovative solutions for enforcing worker safety. If you have questions or need more information on how an IoT system can help you, be sure to contact us.

How to Use Lights to Encourage Social Distancing

One of the challenges that facilities face during the COVID-19 pandemic is how to monitor the health and safety of their employees. One of the biggest prevention measures for combating COVID-19 is the act of social distancing and wearing proper protective equipment. An advanced network lighting control system can help you control and monitor social distancing for your employees. This can be done by using a variety of methods from setting up lighting schedules for specific zones to monitoring auxiliary spaces.

Encouraging social distancing

People generally want to do the right thing when it comes to social distancing but they also need a little guidance on how best to accomplish that. By using what you have on hand you can set guidelines and boundaries for employees to clearly follow. For example, you can set the lights in a pattern that sets employees apart. This way they know that as long as they’re in a lighted area, they are practicing proper social distancing.

This may also mean switching things around on the warehouse floor to accommodate but your employee’s health and wellness during these times are worth it.

Controls for Safety

Task Tuning – With the proper lighting system the ability to customize and manage precise lighting parameters on individual fixtures, or override entire groups quickly and easily through the mobile and web applications. The ability to set up schedules and zones can be used to identify areas that may be restricted during certain times throughout the day.

Event-Based Alerts – Configure value-based thresholds for any single variable (such as temperature, relative humidity, etc.), and receive alerts via email, push notification, or SMS. The potential to monitor temperatures throughout facility can be a valuable asset to maintain a safe environment.

Monitor Auxiliary Spaces – Gain insight into intervening spaces or unmonitored auxiliary areas to proactively identify high traffic areas. Keeping a close eye on where employees gather is vital in determining the appropriate processes to encourage social distancing.

Protect Product Quality – Monitor critical production or storage areas to ensure that optimal and/or required environmental conditions are met and maintained, and product quality isn’t compromised. During these times promoting safety and quality is more important than ever, having sensor based controls can enhance current processes and help to determine necessary improvements.

Conclusion

COVID-19 is forcing a lot of people to think outside the box when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus. The best thing to do is to encourage social distancing with what you have on hand. Using your localized lighting management system can be a great way to accomplish this. If you need more information or need a light system that accomplishes this task, then check us out here to get the process started.

3 Tips for Energy Reduction at the Office

If you’ve had an LED retrofit completed, you’re already on the right track to reducing energy consumption in your office. LED lights use as much as 90% less energy than conventional lighting, and last up to five times longer. Even with your energy-efficient LED lighting, though, there are many more ways to improve your energy reduction. Try out some of these tips:

Install motion detectors: Turning off lights when they’re not in use is one way to do things, but it’s easy for someone to forget when they’re in a rush. Motion detectors that turn your lights off after there’s been no movement in a room for a certain period of time ensures that no matter what happens, you won’t be coming into the office the next morning and finding that the light in the copy room has been left on again. Plus, you can still turn the lights off manually.

Install task lighting: There’s no need to turn on all the office lights if it’s only one or two desks in use. Between their small size, bright (and dimmable) lighting, and the fact that they don’t give off heat, LED lights can be installed almost anywhere to provide more efficient lighting up-close.

Dim lights to necessary levels: You don’t need to keep your LED lights on the highest setting. Often, a lower setting is more than enough – especially when spring and summer roll around if your office gets natural lighting. Dim your LEDs when they’re too bright, and they’ll both last longer and save you more on your energy costs.

If you haven’t yet installed LED lights in your office or business, contact us today for a free estimate.