Government Business

Government departments and councils are serious about carbon reduction policy and are already leading by example. But while there are many strands to the carbon reduction equation, lighting is probably the most visible and emblematic of the struggle. That's why we all need to know about Constant Daylight.
    
We all know that changing to low energy light bulbs can reduce energy consumption. But such lighting is still often left on when rooms are empty, dramatically illustrated by any night-time city skyline. Plus there is the residual heat generated which causes extra load on a facility's air conditioning plant.
    
Constant Daylight
Simple timers can reduce some of this overhead, as can presence detection (which automatically switches lights on and off when someone enters/leaves a room) or absence detection (which requires manual light activation but automatically switch off when someone leaves.) But now there is a smarter and greener adjunct to these tools: Constant Daylight.
    
The idea is simple: using a combination of presence/absence detectors, light level detection and intelligent software, Constant Daylight adjusts the lighting of a room to complement current natural light, producing a comfortable, constant lighting load which is switched off when occupancy has ceased.
    
One product that includes Constant Daylight functions is the DLC1000 lighting control module from Durable Technologies. This LCM works in conjunction with multiple DLS1000 sensors – another Durable Technologies innovation – to constantly monitor for absence and light levels, adjusting lighting for a comfortable working environment, eliminating it when no-one is in the room.

Using less power
So effective is Constant Daylight that in a recent installation, on a typically overcast British spring day, the DLC1000/DLS1000 combination kept the ambient light level in a classroom of 15 sq m at a steady 300 lux and used 60 per cent less power than conventional lighting. And in some cases, a bright, sunny day can enable Constant Daylight to eliminate artificial light use altogether. Obviously Constant Daylight cannot be used at night, but presence/absence detection means that full lighting is only used when a room is occupied, changing your building to an eco-friendly gap in the night skyline.
    
And that's not the end of the good news. Because Durable Technologies designed the DLC1000 LCM as a KNX device, it is certified to work with any of the thousands of other KNX building controls available from manufacturers world-wide, delivering the cost saving benefits of open standards at a time when budgets are tighter than ever. That's why Constant Daylight is a powerful and cost effective tool in your quest for ever greater carbon reductions.

For more information
For more details on how Durable Technologies can help you see the Constant Daylight, contact Alex Carter on 01429 239 656 or visit the website at www.knxbuildingcontrols.com