Remote-Controlled Dimmable Lighting
| Light Level Measurement, foot-candles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Setting | Office | Upstairs Hall | Restroom |
| 50% | 17 | 19 | 38 |
| 60% | 20 | 30 | 68 |
| 75% | 29 | 50 | 86 |
| 90% | 34 | 60 | 105 |
| 100% | 38 | 66 | 114 |
View a graph of the table above.
In this project, a demand-control lighting (DCL) system was installed in a portion of a lumber store to evaluate the demand response effectiveness of this technology. Installation and field testing for this project was completed in November 2005. This project was performed under Southern California Edison's Demand Response, Emerging Markets and Technologies program, which investigates products that have potential to reduce electric demand, particularly during peak use periods.
Most lighting control systems turn lighting circuits on or off and are hard-wired to an energy management command center. But the system investigated in this project used dimming ballasts to control fluorescent lighting and was operated through any computer connected to the Internet.
This newly available product was installed to verify that the technology works and to test it in real world conditions. Lighting on 120V and 277V circuits were controlled as part of this project. Dimmable ballasts and fluorescent lamps for the ceiling lighting were installed that could be controlled by the DCL system. The Internet-gateway software allows an authorized user to change the lighting level from 100 percent to 50 percent in 1 percent increments.
On-site verification and monitoring of the loads confirmed that remote control of the lighting worked effectively. The lighting system was tested at three different times of the day over a pre-selected range of settings. Synchronized tests for the lighting system produced response times ranging from 8 to 146 seconds, from the time the command was remotely issued until the lighting load stabilized at the new level. The average response time was 69 seconds.
During the testing, data was logged every two seconds. The commands to lower the lighting level were given at 9:30, 9:40, 9:50 and 10:00 for levels of 90, 75, 60 and 50 percent, respectively. The demand reduction per two-lamp fluorescent ceiling fixture measured at this facility is provided in the attached report. The reduction is 30.3 Watts per fixture when the level setting is changed from 100 to 50 percent.
The ability to remotely control any number of loads throughout SCE service area from any Internet-accessible computer provides great potential for peak demand reduction.
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