Lighting fixtures with pre-installed sensors that can save time and money by streamlining installation and reducing equipment cost, improve adoption rates, and result in a cleaner-looking ceiling.
Fixture-integrated occupancy sensors or motion detectors are an alternative to the installation of wall or ceiling-mounted sensors. They are often used in outdoor lighting or high and low-bay lighting systems such as found in warehouses, manufacturing plants, or gymnasiums. Specialty equipment is available for cold storage applications. Individual lamps can be dimmed or modulated or a single sensor can control all lamps in an aisle. The sensors can be used for on/off control or to control dimming ballasts or bi-level lighting systems when a human presence is detected. Sensors that are pre-installed by the manufacturer can save time and money although the fixture mount for the sensor might not provide the best coverage pattern for an area. A number of manufacturers such as Lithonia, Leviton, and Philips offer these integrated fixtures. Wired or wireless communication protocols may be used; with wireless likely being the least costly, especially in retrofits.
A variation of this technology that recently entered the market are LED fixtures with wireless integrated sensors and controls for a group or groups of lamps, that are self-commissioning and not connected to a central computer network. Compatibility issues are avoided since there is one source for all the components. These controls can dim LEDs to pre-set levels or turn them off when areas are unoccupied and are ideal for areas with low-traffic or intermittent occupancy such as corridors, stairwells, classrooms, restrooms, conference rooms, and public spaces. Dimming can also be used in conjunction with daylight sensing.
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Baseline Description: Wall or Ceiling-Mounted Occupancy Sensors
Lighting accounts for about 29% of all electrical energy use in an office. For areas which are frequently or intermittently occupied, occupancy sensors can reduce lighting energy use by 50% or more (North Carolina Energy Office, 2010, "Occupancy Sensors: Energy Savings--Fact Sheet). A default run-time reduction of 25% is used in the BPA C&I Lighting Calculator spreadsheet tool. Occupancy sensors can be either wall, ceiling, or fixture mounted.
"Typical" Savings: 0%
Fixture-mounted occupancy sensors is an enabling technology as it makes it easier and perhaps more cost-effective to deploy occupancy sensors or motion detectors. Energy savings do not occur beyond those that can be captured using conventional occupancy sensor deployments, but the use of occupancy sensors has been shown to reduce lighting energy consumption by 27% to 63% when compared to applications with intermittent occupancy and with no occupancy sensors deployed (FEMP Promising Technologies List). Occupancy sensors (fixture mounted or ceiling mounted) can be installed when HID lighting (Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium) is replaced by fluorescent T5 lamps that can be dimmed or turned off without requiring a lengthy restrike time.
Occupancy sensor costs range from about $30 to over $100---for either wall, ceiling, or fixture-mounted sensors. The simple payback on investment ranges from 0.5 to 5-years, depending upon occupant behavior with respect to turning lights off, the existence of timers or energy management systems that control lighting, the level of occupancy, type of light source (HID, fluorescent, LED), electrical energy costs, and energy savings potential of the controlled area (North Carolina Energy Office, 2010, "Occupancy Sensors: Energy Saving--Fact Sheet").
Simple payback, new construction (years): N/A
Simple payback, retrofit (years): N/A
Cost Effectiveness is calculated using baseline energy use, best estimate of typical energy savings, and first cost. It does not account for factors such as impacts on O&M costs (which could be significant if product life is greatly extended) or savings of non-electric fuels such as natural gas. Actual overall cost effectiveness could be significantly different based on these other factors.
CLTC, 08/01/2010. Wireless Integrated Photosensor and Motion Sensor System (WIPAM) California Lighting Technology Center
Nexant, 10/30/2013. Intel Advanced Lighting Controls Project Sacramento Municipal Utility District Special Notes: All components need to be tested together to determine actual energy savings performance.
ADM Associates, Inc, 07/09/2013. Fluorescent dimming Ballast study Report Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Technical Advisory Group: 2009 Lighting TAG (#1) TAG Ranking: Average TAG Rating: TAG Ranking Date: TAG Rating Commentary: