Flexible and scalable connected lighting system at Emera Place

While scoping the project, Emera looked at various manufacturer options to address their lighting needs, but ultimately selected Signify’s solution because of the flexibility of the system offering, and the breadth of product options available. For example, the control system backbone (pairing Philips Dynalite controls with Cisco PoE switches) allowed for efficiencies in infrastructure costs as well as the ability to integrate into the building’s overall IoT framework.
 

According to John Hyslop, Senior Engineer at NS Power “From inception, we knew we wanted a smart building for our new headquarters. It was important not only to live our corporate vision of innovation and efficiency, but to have the flexibility to easily make changes to infrastructure or implement future upgrades. The Interact IoT lighting system by Signify checked all the boxes. Their luminaires offered high comfort level for lighting spaces, the system price was right, and we really liked the idea around the plug ‘n play connectivity of PoE switches, which gives us the flexibility to move any light and re-use the ethernet cable.”

The ability to collect data from the system was also a differentiating factor. Interact Office provides kwh usage, including peak usage times, so Emera can track peak use over time and plan accordingly. Automatic fault notifications mean the company can reduce maintenance costs, since crews can locate and repair faults quickly with minimal downtime.

Space management software allows the company to track space use over time in order to use their space most effectively. After just a month, the system showed that a specific meeting room was not being utilized, so the company could consider reconfiguring the space to improve efficiency and optimize use.

In general the Interact platform was seen as a benefit as it allowed for more than one option of integration with the BMS whether via backnet interface or API for example.

Collaboration was an essential factor to the overall project success and seamless execution, with multiple parties needing to work together towards a common goal. The positive working relationship between the systems group, the agent, the construction group and the specifier resulted in a fantastic result for all.