Lutron Electronics, inventors of lighting control, recently combined forces with SAGE Electrochromics, creators of electronically tintable glass, to help seamlessly reduce energy costs while regulating indoor light and heat.
Combining Lutron lighting control technology with SAGE windows creates optimal use of daylight and electric light in businesses and households, increasing productivity, lowering energy bills and making occupants more comfortable.
By also integrating systems during construction of buildings, a team comprised of specialists from both companies will assist builders in creating increased efficiency, assisting architects and contractors in building creation.
How it works
By combining light management and control systems from Lutron to link many separate aspects of lighting installation, bringing together LED drivers, wireless occupancy sensors, daylight sensors, motorized window treatments and wireless keypads, the company's technology can be used to create one central system to control lighting in environments ranging from rooms to buildings, even college campuses.
Combining this with new glass from SAGE that can tint on demand to control light, heat and glare, Lutron's systems can be more efficient and create more savings for builders and building owners.
"The combination of dimmable lighting, motorized window treatments and electrochromic glass is a powerful tool in the war against energy waste," Lutron's vice president for government affairs, Pekka Hakkarainen, said. "Each of these solutions, on its own, can have a significant impact. Putting them together in an integrated facade can yield even greater savings and a solid return on investment," he added.
Harvesting daylight
By increasing the amount of daylight that enters a building, the systems can control the amount of electric light used in different settings to reach an optimal efficiency, lowering energy use and cost.
As electric lighting accounts for around 38 percent of a building's total consumption of electricity, using all of the lighting control systems available in the Lutron and SAGE combination together can save up to 60 percent of their usual electricity expenses used for lighting.
There's a strong relationship between employees' daylight exposure and their quality of life, according to a study published by Northwestern University. Workers with more exposure to windows slept an average of 46 minutes more nightly and reported an increase in physical activity and higher quality of life.
Emphasis on light exposure and lighting levels in current and future offices, utilizing strategies such as the team up between Lutron and SAGE, can further improve employee wellness and quality of life, co-author of the study Ivy Cheung said.
