Automatic lighting control from Ex-Or Ltd is being installed in Berkeley Homes latest prestige apartments development in the heart of London. The LightSpot presence detectors will dramatically cut energy costs and ensure regulatory compliance to the current Approved Document L2 of the Building Regulations (conservation of Fuel & Power).Lights in the landlord areas such as lobbies and communal halls at Salamanca Square, Berkeley Homes' landmark development on Albert Embankment, will automatically switch on and off when required.
Presence/movement detection will help Berkeley Homes meet their obligations under the Approved Document L2 of the Building Regulations (Conservation of Fuel and Power section) which now covers residential buildings. The regulations say lighting controls should be used to avoid unnecessary lighting during periods when communal areas of residential buildings are unoccupied. So architects, developers and landlords can no longer allow lights in lobbies and circulation areas to be lit constantly.
Lighting contractors on the Salamanca Square project Hills Electrical & Mechanical turned to Ex-Or, European leaders in lighting management, for a controls solution. Ex-Or Southern Sales Manager Patrick Kelly said:
"Passive infra red (PIR) control would not have been suitable in this particular situation because PIR controls detect body heat and would not switch the lights on until people were in the corridor itself. However, the Ex-Or microwave and ultrasonic long range movement detectors scan for the movement of apartment doors as well as movement in the communal areas. This form of movement detection ensures lighting is switched on before people enter the area."
Other benefits of using LightSpot at Salamanca Square include:
Considerable reduction in landlord's costs as lights do not burn needlessly
Considerable extension in lamp and gear life which ensures lower maintenance costs
Automatic detection of people and door movement over a large area, so there are fewer detectors to install which reduces installation time and cost
Single automatic detector as opposed to multiple switch drops at entrance points and apartment doors
When air temperatures are controlled in communal areas, a reduction in heat from lamps and gear can be expected as lights will be switched off and not generate heat
LightSpot movement detectors have built-in photocells to hold off lights when levels of natural daylight are sufficiently high
Aesthetics enhanced by the elimination of multiple switch plates.
Hills Electrical are also installing LightSpot Long Range microwave movement detectors (30 and 60 metre coverage) in the large underground car park at Salamanca Square. This will also considerably cut energy costs and help the landlords meet their Building Regulations Document L2 obligations.
Added Patrick Kelly: "Architects, contractors and property developers are realising that effective movement detection lighting control can ensure they comply with current regulations now applicable in residential buildings. The regulations clearly state that automatically switched lighting systems 'should not endanger the passage of building occupants', which rules out PIR detection methods in common areas such as lift lobbies and circulation areas."
