The EDA’s Product Knowledge Modules help businesses like yours create cross-selling and up-selling opportunities by building knowledge and confidence. These training modules have won a Princess Royal Training Award so you can be assured of their value. It’s probably why EDA businesses have taken over 10,000 training modules since launch.

Lighting (Systems and Controls) is one of the 12 EDA’s Product Knowledge Modules created to develop the professional knowledge and confidence of your team.

Training in Lighting (Systems and Controls) includes:

• Types of lighting controls
• Dimming LED Retro-Fit lamps and LED fixtures
• Multi-way control of stand-alone dimmers
• Wired low-voltage lighting control protocols explored
• Low-voltage wiring for lighting controls
• Motion sensors
• Wireless lighting controls
• The Internet of Things and smart-phone app controls
• Emergency lighting controls
• Lighting control modules in commercial buildings

Online learning through The EDA Academy

All the EDA Product Knowledge Modules are available to study electronically via The EDA Academy, the Association’s e-learning portal. Each training course is delivered through video and interactive learning, but if the original hard copy textbook is preferred these are still available.

Test your knowledge

Have a go at this quiz sampled from the Lighting (Systems and Controls) module. Then check your answers below. If the results show that you need to boost your team’s know-how, talk to the EDA today.

Test your knowledge

Q1: What is the difference between inrush current and running current?
Q2: Can two “master” dimmers be connected together?
Q3: What is a photocell used to measure or detect?
Q4: What frequency does Bluetooth most commonly use?
Q5: Where would you expect to find devices on a LAN?
Q6: Name two output types for LED drivers.

Scroll down for answers

Answers

Q1: The inrush current is a brief current when the load is first switched on. The running current is the current normally required when the load is illuminated
Q2: No – always check the wiring options with the manufacturers that you stock
Q3: Light/daylight
Q4: 2.4 GHz
Q5: In a home or other building
Q6: Constant current & Constant voltage

How did you do?

Full marks: Well done.

3 – 5 out of 6: Not bad. Could the EDA training help you to fill in any gaps in your knowledge and help you progress in your career?

Less than 3: The EDA Product Knowledge Programme could be just what you need to boost sales.

Watch the video and download the Course Directory

There’s plenty of information online at www.eda.org.uk, including videos and a downloadable course directory, giving you a summary of what’s covered in each of the 12 training modules.

The EDA team is ready to help. Call 020 3141 7350 or email training@eda.org.uk.

For more information, click here

Find more ‘EDA Insight’ articles here

The post EDA Insight: Mastering the Art of Illumination – Training in Lighting Systems and Controls appeared first on Professional Electricians Wholesaler.

The requirement for emergency lighting in non-domestic premises is laid out in legislation throughout the United Kingdom.

Here Matt Tighe, Technical Service Manager with ESP, briefly considers the requirements of legislation and the British Standards and Codes of Practice that apply to the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of emergency lighting systems. 

Legislation 

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) in England and Wales, Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 detail a series of legislative requirements for persons having responsibility for occupants of a building. The FSO uses the term ‘responsible person’ and ‘nominated person’ is used in Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Under the FSO, the responsible person must take such general fire precautions as will ensure the safety of his employees and those persons who are not his employees but who are using his premises (clause 8 FSO). 

Amongst other things, clause 14 of the FSO requires that: 

• Emergency routes and exits must be indicated by signs 
• Emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting. 

In addition to the requirements of the FSO and other legislation, Part B1 of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) requires that the building is designed to include, ‘…appropriate means of escape in case of fire…’.  

Similar requirements exist in Schedule 5, clause 2.10 of the Building (Scotland) Regulations. 

Legislation details the requirements for emergency escape lighting; however, it is the various British Standards and codes of practice that provide the necessary guidance on how systems should be designed and installed. 

Guidance 

The guidance available for those designing, installing and maintaining emergency lighting systems is varied. However, the primary guidance is found in three related British Standards:  

BS5266-1: 2016 Emergency lighting – Part 1: Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises 

• BS EN50172: 2004/BS5266-8: 2004 Emergency escape lighting systems 
• BS EN1838: 2013 Lighting applications – Emergency lighting. 

Additional guidance can also be found in: 

• Health Technical Memorandum 05-02: Firecode (HTM 05-02) 
• Health Technical Memorandum 06-01 – Electrical services: supply and distribution 
• LG2: Lighting for healthcare premises (2019) – CIBSE 
• LG12: Emergency lighting (2022) – CIBSE 

BS5266-1 – pre-design 

BS5266-1 is the principal code of practice for emergency lighting systems. The scope of BS 5266-1 is threefold: 

• To assist occupants to leave a building during an emergency – Escape route lighting 
• To help protect occupants if they stay in a building during an emergency – Emergency safety lighting 

• To help occupants to continue normal operations in the event of failure of the supply to normal lighting – Standby lighting 

Figure 1 in BS5266-1 highlights the types of emergency lighting systems and the associated activity(ies). It is important that the designer is aware of the specific nature of the emergency lighting system. There are, for example, differences in lighting levels and times associated with each of the arrangements detailed below. 

Clause 4 of BS5266-1 makes it clear about the need for consultation between the responsible person, the owner/developer (occupier), the architect, the lighting engineer, the installation contractor, the enforcing authorities, the electricity supplier/distributor, and any other relevant persons at an early stage. 

The purpose of the consultation stage is to define the way in which the system is intended to operate. 

Clause 4 of BS5266-1 further recommends that plans of the premises are available early in the process to assist with the consultation stage. Clause 5.1 of BS EN50172 details the plans should include, escape routes, open areas, high risk task areas, safety equipment (e.g. fire safety equipment etc.), and details of normal lighting and its control systems. 

Records of the emergency lighting system must be kept, including the location and type of system components, including luminaires, test devices, and any control power units (clause 4.3 BS5266-1 and clause 6.1 BS EN50172).  

Conclusion 

Legislation requires emergency lighting systems in non-domestic premises. The responsibility for such systems falls to the ‘responsible person’ (‘nominated person’).  

The guidance issued under British Standards, HTMs and CIBSE give designers, installers, commissioning engineers and maintenance personnel help in ensuring that a suitable and sufficient system can be selected, erected and maintained.  

ESP provides a design service for emergency lighting systems. However, it is important that any designers are part of the early consultation process to align with the recommendations of BS5266-1 and other associated standards. ESP can offer a team of dedicated design engineers who are fully trained and qualified in all relevant British Standards including BS5266. They are able to provide an in-depth solution to any challenges a building offers, through a combination of site visits and the study of site drawings. All their Computer Aided Design (CAD) is carried out in house, which enables them to amend their designs as the job progresses.   

For further information contact ESP on 01527 515150, email info@espuk.com or click here 

The post The Vital Requirements of Emergency Lighting | ESP appeared first on Professional Electricians Wholesaler.

LEDVANCE looks at different types of intelligent lighting systems and controls and how they can help to achieve a reduction in energy consumption.

Businesses looking to invest in an intelligent lighting system for their work facilities will find a wealth of products at their fingertips. Climate change has accelerated the speed at which lighting management is innovating, as has the recent RoHS ban on T5 and T8 fluorescent tubes. The results are not only exciting, but game-changing from an energy-saving perspective. A comprehensive, networked amalgamation of all the lighting controls within a building leads to an impressive reduction in energy consumption that cannot be replicated by alternative methods, such as switching to LEDs alone.

In July 2022, LEDVANCE conducted its own research into lighting and the impact it has on the environment, and subsequently global warming. The results showed that while energy-efficient luminaires certainly help reduce lighting’s impact, there reaches a point where the energy savings plateau and increasing lumens per watt is simply not enough. An intelligent sensor-assisted light management system which can switch on and off or dim the light increases efficiency past this point by saving consumption. It is therefore not just useful, but essential, for businesses to reap the benefits of energy saving from intelligent light systems.

Facilities managers will be reassured to know that within the wide selection of systems available is an exceptional choice of customisation options that tailors the lighting to what a facility and the workers within it need.

Sensors

The scope of sensor programming on offer in the lighting management sphere means that there’s settings to fully customise a building’s lighting according to how the facility is used and its hours of operation. Presence detection avoids unnecessary illumination in empty corridors or meeting rooms, and daylight sensing reduces the lighting from luminaires during the brightest parts of the day.

Human-centric lighting

When considering the benefits of automated lighting systems to their spaces, facilities managers will generally note convenience and cost benefits. However, these systems can have an additional positive impact on wellbeing and productivity, as automated systems provide the valuable opportunity to adapt lighting to the circadian rhythms of staff.

The circadian rhythm is our 24-hour body clock that governs natural cycles of activity and rest by managing hormone levels. Humans are known to be heavily influenced by variations in natural light throughout the course of the day. A human oriented lighting concept uses smart controllable LED lighting systems to simulate the characteristics of natural daylight, combining the visual and non-visual biological effects of light through changing colour temperatures and illuminance levels.

Artificial light that synchronises with our circadian rhythms is proven to make us happier, healthier and more productive. It has been scientifically proven that spaces which use human centric lighting systems increase staff wellbeing, concentration and performance during the day, improve the quality of sleep at night, and helps reduce sickness. Therefore, an automated lighting system with HCL programming will not only illuminate an office facility but support the wellbeing of everyone within it.

Adapting to a building

Intelligent lighting systems can be adapted not only for building usage, but for the building itself. Whether the system is being applied to an existing facility as a retro fit installation, or to a new build, management systems provide options. For example, Vivares, the IoT light management system from LEDVANCE, works either with DALI or Zigbee technology for maximum compatibility with any intelligent installation.

LEDVANCE Vivares Zigbee works with a controller that communicates with up to 200 compatible devices using the highly reliable Zigbee 3.0 wireless standard. This makes the system a first choice when no additional control lines should or can be laid, such as when modernising existing buildings or refurbishing listed buildings. Vivares Zigbee is also ideal for changing room situations because the system is flexible and easy to adapt.

Vivares DALI is suitable whenever additional control lines can be laid without any problems, such as in suspended ceilings, when retrofitting existing DALI installations or when equipping new buildings. The Vivares DALI system can also be integrated into a higher-ranking KNX system for building control using a KNX interface. This means that automated tests, including reporting, can be carried out on any emergency lighting system.

Conclusion

The above offers just a glimpse into what light management systems have to offer for businesses assessing their energy saving opportunities in this field. There’s even more choice out there on the market and, given the rapid developments within this product sector, there’s bound to be even more innovation on the way. Watch this space.

Discover more here

The post How Intelligent lighting systems and controls can help achieve energy savings | LEDVANCE appeared first on Professional Electricians Wholesaler.