|
|
| PROGRAMMABLE CONNECTION CENTRE SIMPLIFIES LIGHTING CONTROL IN THE CLASSROOM |
Date
: June 17, 2009 |
Lighting management specialists Ex-Or have developed a truly intelligent, programmable lighting control connection centre to meet the needs of the modern school classroom.
The new CDW12U5-C CD (Connect Digital) Box takes plug-in installation – with all its time and cost-saving advantages – to a new level. Because the intelligence is in the CD Box itself, it is supremely flexible. Outputs can be ‘bound together’ in any combination of dimming and switching configurations – all via the software without any hard-wiring choices needing to be made.
Setting up the system couldn’t be simpler: a hand-held infrared programmer is all that is needed. There are even pre-set programming patterns to suit typical classroom requirements available as templates.
The classroom has become an extremely sophisticated environment in terms of delivering light. Factors such as classroom size, occupancy patterns, the increasing use of interactive whiteboards and projection equipment as teaching aids, and the balance of natural and artificial light, all need to be taken into account to ensure the most appropriate lighting control solution is provided.
Delivering this level of sophistication can be a wiring nightmare in terms of installation and pose complications to the end user who subsequently wants to reconfigure it to best suit their own classroom environment.
But by using the school classroom CD Box, it is a simple matter to configure the lighting to take into account the position of luminaires and the rows, or zones, in which the students are working in the classroom and all absence detection and presence detection needs.
For example, it can be configured to reap the maximum benefit from levels of natural light by ensuring the rows of luminaires nearest the windows automatically dim or switch off when artificial light is not necessary. Or, it can be configured so that all classroom lights are automatically dimmed or disabled except for whiteboard illumination.
As classroom layouts and configurations can change, it is a simple process to reconfigure the lighting setup at any time, again by using Ex-Or’s hand-held infrared programming technology.
Features of the Ex-Or school classroom CD Box include:
Direct connection and control of up to 12 luminaires.
Six independently switched or dimmed channels.
Digital DSI or DALI dimming outputs.
Channels can be programmably bound in any combination to make larger groups.
5 x SELV PIR and/or microwave presence detector inputs and 5 x SELV switch inputs.
Wirelessly enabled option for 2 x 2-way batteryless wireless switches with programmable functions.
Mechanically locked luminaire plug-and-socket arrangement.
Infrared programmable directly to box or via any connected detector.
4-wire mains input as standard for emergency test maintained live with removable link for 3-wire installations. |
|
|
| MLS DIGITAL - NOW WITH PC INTERFACE |
Date
: May 19, 2009 |
The addition of a web-based PC interface to MLS Digital, Ex-Or’s building-wide managed lighting system, offers users greater operational interactivity with the ability to monitor occupancy via a dynamic visual display.
Designed to deliver energy savings while enhancing the lit environment, MLS Digital operates via a network of communicating detectors which constantly monitor presence and levels of ambient light to provide zoned lighting tailored to the occupants’ needs.
Ex-Or have always made much of the fact that MLS Digital does not need a centralised computer and is therefore much simpler to install and more reliable in operation. No overall breakdown is possible and there is no fiddling about matching up pre-addressed components on a computerised master plan.
So is this a U-turn? “Not at all,” says Ex-Or general manager, John Forsyth. “The new PC interface just increases the functionality of MLS Digital by providing additional tools for those who need them. The system is still commissioned using the hand-held programmer and its menu of programmable features. Settings are uploaded to detectors (or downloaded for checking) just by pointing and pressing. They can be changed again whenever required – without having to access a complicated computer programme or incurring expensive re-commissioning costs.
“The introduction of the PC interface shows that we listen which is one of our strengths. Product development over the last 25 years has been driven by customer feedback, resulting in a range that delivers real-world solutions. We have found that some managers want the ability to interrogate the MLS system, to be able to see what’s going on and to use the information for simple reporting - this allows them to do just that.”
The PC interface delivers a real-time on-screen display of current lighting status. The dynamic visual display - a CAD plan of their own building which shows where individual detectors are located and what zones have been set up - can be panned and zoomed on screen. This provides an overview of occupancy on a zone-by-zone basis from which the system can generate reports so that total occupancy hours for each zone can be accumulated.
It is a web-based system; the on-screen display of occupancy can be accessed from a PC anywhere in the world.
Further enhancements to the new MLS-PC interface will shortly bring further interactivity with the ability to operate lights centrally on a zone-by-zone basis and to initiate lighting scenes remotely. It will also feature a time scheduler and will interface with a BMS running on popular protocols such as BACnet and Lonworks. |
|
|
| EX-OR LIGHTING CONTROL SPECIFIED FOR FLAGSHIP LOW-CARBON FOOTPRINT OFFICE CAMPUS |
Date
: Apr 15, 2009 |
Lighting management systems from Ex-Or were specified throughout a newly built prestigious office complex near Aberdeen, designed to be one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in Scotland.
In the £120,000 deal, the Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System and SceneSelect II scene-setting and dimming system are being deployed in almost all areas of the Acergy office campus at Westhill Business Park.
The bespoke multi-million pound campus covers a 17 acre area and features a 10,700 m2 office building on three levels which includes open plan and cellular offices, conference facilities, training rooms and restaurant. There is an extensive workshop and warehousing area and an archive building on the campus where Ex-Or lighting control is also in operation. In addition, Ex-Or’s lighting controls and systems have been installed in the leisure complex on the site, which incorporates squash courts, multi-purpose gym, weights room, sports hall and function suites for use by Acergy’s 650 staff and their families.
Acergy is a leading seabed-to-surface engineering and construction contractor for the global oil and gas industry. The design for their new campus was to the most stringent environmental specification possible and has achieved a high BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating.
The lighting management systems from Ex-Or ensure the lights throughout the campus only come on where and when needed by automatically taking into account occupancy and natural light levels.
The Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System provides a fully integrated lighting management scheme which uses communicating presence detectors that share information on occupancy patterns in all areas of the campus. This is complemented by Ex-Or SceneSelect II which allows Acergy personnel to easily create and subsequently recall custom pre-set scenes. The ability to switch between different pre-sets at the touch of a button also helps to save energy, as lighting can be adjusted according to ambient light levels or set to automatically switch off when areas are not in use.
Solar gain has been maximised and heat loss minimised by the actual aspect and location of the campus buildings. Internal temperature is controlled through a geothermal heat source heating/cooling system making use of the Earth’s constant temperature at 100 m below the surface - the largest commercial system of its kind in Scotland. Other measures employed to reduce the campus’ carbon footprint include grey water harvesting and passive chilled beam cooling.
Said Graham Meil managing director of Acergy UK Ltd: “Our new facility is a fantastic campus and a world class engineering and operational centre for Acergy. Our commitment to building our campus to the highest environmental specification possible is demonstrated by the wide-ranging environmental measures we have taken as instanced by our choice of Ex-Or systems to eliminate the use of unnecessary lighting.”
Building work was carried out by Stewart Milne Group. Ex-Or’s lighting management systems were installed by Richard Irvin Services Ltd on behalf of chartered engineers Cameron Chisholm Dawson Partnership, all of Aberdeen. |
|
|
| EX-OR HELPS UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX MEET ITS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY GOALS |
Date
: Mar 11, 2009 |
Lighting management specialists Ex-Or are helping the University of Essex not only to make significant energy-cost savings but also to meet one of its core objectives, environmental sustainability.
Ex-Or, part of Honeywell, has supplied and installed LightSpot detectors in all corridors and kitchens within the 700-bed student accommodation complex in Colchester.
The Quays is the newest of the residential developments at the University and has won the Colchester 2020 & Royal Institute of Architects award for best new contemporary building. The project follows similar Ex-Or installations at other key locations on the University of Essex campus.
Richard Frost, University of Essex energy manager, said: “Before the Ex-Or installation, lights in the communal areas of The Quays burned endlessly because of the human factor - quite simply, no one switched them off. But now the lights only come on when required, then automatically switch off after use.”
This is because Ex-Or LightSpot presence detectors respond to the movements that occur when corridor and kitchen areas are in use. Anyone entering a controlled area automatically activates the lighting and subsequently sustains it by even the smallest movements they make. When they leave, the lights automatically switch off. The LightSpot detectors also incorporate photocell control which dims or brightens the luminaires according to levels of natural light.
By measuring kilowatt hours usage before and after the installation, the University has confirmed it has cut its total energy bill by 5 per cent. But further savings have also been made, thanks to the Ex-Or installation. Because lights are no longer on 24 hours a day, there are fewer lamp and control gear failures and, as a result, lower maintenance and replacement costs. This is saving the University a further £2,000 a year on its maintenance bill for The Quays development.
“One of our core values is environmental sustainability, and we look at this in its widest sense,” said Frost. “Reducing unnecessary energy use obviously helps us cut our carbon footprint. But we are also keen on specifying products made in this country rather than imported from overseas. This increases employment opportunities for domestic workers, cuts imports and reduces international transport - all of which actively promote environmental sustainability.
“Ex-Or’s equipment is made in this country and that is one reason why we are keen to specify it by name. On a practical level, when we need spare parts, or new equipment is needed to enhance the systems we have in place, we do not have to wait for it to be shipped in from overseas. This helps us reduce our carbon footprint, so helping us meet our core value of environmental sustainability.” |
|
|
| EX-OR SETS THE GOLD STANDARD IN LIGHTING CONTROL FOR SCHOOLS |
Date
: Jan 21, 2009 |
The Gold Series LightSpot from lighting controls specialists Ex-Or meets the increasing demands from schools for more sophisticated lighting control in classrooms.
It helps schools save energy and meet government targets for carbon reduction. By delivering optimum light levels, Gold LightSpot also helps provide the most productive learning environment for pupils.
Gold LightSpot offers ultimate flexibility because of its microwave detection technology which is more sensitive than PIR and provides a wider coverage area. This enables movement to be detected across a wide area - the detection zone of a Gold LightSpot is 7m in diameter, more than enough to cover a typical classroom. Gold LightSpot controls also incorporate integral photocells for daylight control and provide dual-circuit capability.
Being dual circuit, lights nearest the windows can be dimmed or switched off when ambient light levels are high, but the rest of the lights in the monitored area react to movement only. As just one detector is needed to control all the lights, savings in both cost of equipment and installation are made. In classroom spaces, controls without the Gold Series LightSpot’s dual-circuit capability would need two or more detectors installed throughout the monitored space to produce the same results.
Simplicity of installation is another plus. Commissioning is carried out using an infrared remote programmer whereby settings are chosen from the programmer’s menu and sent to the detector at the press of a button. The simplicity of the process means that settings can be altered whenever required without disruption by staff on the premises.
Dimming versions also offer the option of OneSwitchTM operation for manual input to adjust the lighting level or switch lights on or off. This provides the further level of control flexibility often required by teaching professionals.
Said David Hazeldine, Ex-Or product manager: “Lighting design in schools in particular has become more sophisticated. Classroom size, occupancy patterns, the increasing use of interactive whiteboards and projection equipment as teaching aids and the balance of natural and artificial light all need to be taken into account in ensuring the most appropriate controls solution is provided. The operational flexibility of Gold LightSpot makes it the ideal solution and its solid plastic housing makes it particularly robust and therefore suitable for use in a demanding environment.”
Gold LightSpot is not, of course, the only control offered by Ex-Or. The LightSpot control range utilises all three major types of presence detection technology: passive infrared (PIR), ultrasonic and microwave. As each is suited to a different type of application or pattern of usage, there is always a perfect LightSpot control solution.
LightSpot presence-detecting controls are available in a variety of configurations, for flush or surface mounting or for integration into luminaires. The detection range varies from 6 to 60 metres, allowing LightSpot lighting control to be employed in locations of all sizes from the smallest cellular office to the largest warehouse. Whatever the application, the user benefits from greatly reduced electricity bills thanks to the energy savings made. |
|
|
| ENERGY AND COST SAVING LIGHTING CONTROL FOR WAREHOUSES AND STORAGE DEPOTS |
Date
: Dec 2, 2008 |
Operators of high-ceilinged distribution and storage facilities can now take advantage of energy and cost-saving lighting control from Ex-Or, the Honeywell-owned lighting management specialist.
Ex-Or is launching its HighBay LightSpot, a presence detection system specially designed to eliminate unnecessary use of lighting in buildings with ceiling heights of between 8 and 14 metres.
The development of HighBay means that Ex-Or now offers the UK’s widest range of energy and cost-saving lighting controls and managed lighting systems for all types of commercial buildings.
Depending on the specific usage patterns in a storage facility, lighting energy cost savings of as much as 80 per cent can be achieved as a result of the installation of the Ex-Or HighBay LightSpot. Payback - the period of time it takes for the system to pay for itself thanks to the resulting energy cost savings – would, in this instance, be less than a year – with the Ex-Or system continuing to deliver energy cost savings over the life of the building.
Distribution hubs and storage facilities are increasing in height to enable operators to maximise the value of the land footprint occupied by the building. However, higher ceilings have led to higher energy costs - in particular, large internal areas remain lit despite being unoccupied for much of the time.
Like all LightSpot systems, HighBay employs presence detection technology which enables the lighting to respond to any movement that occurs, however small, when the monitored area is occupied. Anyone entering the monitored area automatically activates the lighting and subsequently sustains it by the movements they make as they go about their normal working activity. When the area is vacated, the lights automatically switch off or, if preferred, are set-back to a minimum output.
In large storage and warehousing facilities, discharge lighting - which is incapable of being controlled or dimmed effectively - is giving way to fluorescent lighting which is ideal for linking with presence detection lighting control.
Ex-Or’s long established Long Range series of LightSpot offers detection with ranges of up to 60 metres. However in many warehouse and storage applications, especially where there are a large number of racking aisles, more precise lighting control is needed. The HighBay detectors have been specially designed to provide a narrow angle of view despite the fact they are mounted at great height. This means that much smaller and more precisely targeted internal areas can be monitored by HighBay, so that lighting can be delivered where it is needed with much greater precision.
Ex-Or HighBay is available in surface and flush mount configurations, or can be integrated into most types of luminaires. The integrated versions offer significant installation and commissioning cost savings. |
|
|
| TWO MORE PROJECT ENGINEERS JOIN EX-OR |
Date
: Oct 28, 2008 |
Lighting controls company Ex-Or has further strengthened its teams of project sales engineers in the Midlands and South East with the appointments of Brendan Sullivan and Simon Clarke.
The appointments follow an increase in the number of major newbuild and refurb projects in the two regions where Ex-Or, part of Honeywell, has been chosen to provide lighting management.
Brendan, who joins the Midlands team as project engineer, previously worked in the industry where he gained considerable experience in lighting control equipment.
The South East Ex-Or team will benefit from the appointment of Simon who, for the past eight years, has held various roles at MK Electric including technical sales support and training manager.
Said Patrick Kelly, Ex-Or sales director: “As energy costs continue to rise, both specifiers and building occupiers are increasingly realising the important role lighting control plays in helping to reduce a commercial building’s carbon footprint and to cut energy bills.
"As one of the UK's leading providers of energy saving lighting controls we are committed to increasing our sales force to meet customer demand." |
|
|
| NEW PRODUCT MANAGER APPOINTED |
Date
: Aug 22, 2008 |
David Hazeldine has been promoted to product manager at Ex-Or, the lighting controls company recently acquired by Honeywell. David has worked for Ex-Or for more than 20 years.
As installations manager, David was previously responsible for the installation and commissioning of Ex-Or’s lighting management systems and products in newbuild and refurb projects around the UK.
His appointment as product manager means he has now become a key member of Ex-Or’s development team which plans to bring a number of innovative new products to the market over the next 18 months.
David, a trained electrician, first joined Ex-Or in 1987 from a large lighting and maintenance company in West Yorkshire where he was area manager.
Said John Forsyth, Ex-Or general manager: “Honeywell is making a significant investment into Ex-Or and this includes the development of a number of new products which will further strengthen our lighting management offering.
“David’s appointment as product manager underlines our commitment to R & D at Ex-Or and shows the importance we place in new product development as a key part of our expansion plans.” |
|
|
| EX-OR INCREASES ITS SCOTTISH PRESENCE WITH APPOINTMENT OF ROSS PARK |
Date
: July 12, 2008 |
Ex-Or, the lighting controls company recently acquired by Honeywell, has strengthened its sales and customer support team in Scotland with the appointment of Ross Park as project engineer.
The appointment of Ross follows an increase in the number of major newbuild and refurb projects in Scotland where Ex-Or has been specified to provide lighting management.
Ross previously worked for Scottish architectural lighting design company GS Lighting. Most recently Ross has overseen Ex-Or installation projects for the Scottish Prison Service and for the Sherriff’s Court in Edinburgh.
Said John Forsyth, Ex-Or general manager: “Architects and specifiers are increasingly realising the important role lighting control can play in helping reduce a commercial building’s carbon footprint and cutting energy bills. We are being specified for an increasing number of projects in both the public and private sectors in Scotland, so Ross’s appointment will strengthen our Scottish team.” |
|
|
| NEW TEAM BUILDS ON EX-OR'S SALES SUCCESS IN MIDLANDS |
Date
: June 12, 2008 |
Ex-Or, the lighting controls company recently acquired by Honeywell, has announced a significant strengthening of its team of project engineers in the Midlands region.
The restructuring follows a considerable increase in the number of contracts awarded to Ex-Or for its energy-saving lighting management and control systems in both newbuild and refurbishment projects throughout the Midlands region.
Robert Powell, who joined Ex-Or as a project engineer seven years ago, has been promoted to the position of Midlands sales manager and will lead the team. Project engineer Karl Hardman, who has been with Ex-Or since 2004, has joined the team. The third team member is Stuart Whitehouse, who has recently been appointed by Ex-Or. He was formerly northern regional manager for Tyco Electronics.
The team will replace a familiar figure with companies and organisations in the Midlands: Roger Burton, who covered the region for Ex-Or for the past nine years, retired in May.
Said Robert Powell: “Energy management is rapidly moving up the agenda for organisations in the public and private sectors who are anxious to reduce their carbon footprint and cut energy costs. In the Midlands region in particular many are turning to Ex-Or for help.
“To a great extent this has been due to the hard work put in by Roger over the years. The new team will build on the successful foundations that Roger has put in place and will provide even higher levels of sales support to current and future Ex-Or clients.” |
|
|
| FAGERHULT & EX-OR PROVES THE IDEAL COMBINATION FOR ROYAL & SUNALLIANCE |
Date
: May 14, 2008 |
A major lighting refurbishment incorporating sophisticated lighting management from Ex-Or Ltd carried out at a Birmingham office complex has ticked all the right boxes for the occupant, Royal & SunAlliance, one of the world’s leading insurance groups.
Because the new Fagerhult lighting system only delivers light when needed without any energy wastage, this move will help Royal & SunAlliance cut its carbon footprint. It also means an annual saving of £3,000 on its electricity bill for the three floor office complex in Colmore Row.
It allows the company more flexibility as a growing number of its 700 employees work outside the core 9 am to 5 pm time frame. And because the lights are automatically set at optimum levels, Royal & SunAlliance staff are working in a healthier and more productive environment.
The office lighting refurbishment was carried out by electrical consulting engineers Cundall. They replaced the existing inefficient lighting system with suspended Fagerhult luminaires to bring the new system up to LG7 Lighting Guide standards. The lighting is controlled by The Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System by means of discrete detectors and controls built-in to the luminaires.
The MLS Digital lighting management system ensures that lights throughout the offices are on only when they are actually needed and automatically dim and brighten to provide the best possible levels of light for staff.
Detectors within the system automatically sense the presence of occupants and measure levels of ambient light. The detectors communicate with each other to provide the correct level of lighting to occupants in designated work zones throughout the open plan areas and ensure that lights in key circulation areas and corridor routes are kept on.
Said Cundall senior electrical engineer Roger Rigby: “The main driver for Royal & SunAlliance was efficient delivery of lighting so that the system would be environmentally friendly as possible. The company has an energy team which actively monitors energy use throughout the complex and it estimates it is saving £3,000 a year off the lighting energy bill as a direct result of the new lighting system.”
He said the former lighting system in the office complex was both old fashioned and inappropriate, particularly as some of their staff members need to work in the early mornings and late evenings.
“They needed a system that would automatically deliver correct levels of light whenever required. Previously, the landlord had to be contacted whenever lights were needed outside the core working hours.
“Ex-Or is a preferred supplier to Fagerhult Lighting and Cundall have had positive previous experience with Ex-Or’s lighting management systems. Certainly Royal & SunAlliance is very pleased with the end results and it has found favour with its staff who appreciate the more pleasant lit environment they now work in.” |
|
|
| FORSYTH AT THE HELM AT EX-OR |
Date
: Apr 8, 2008 |
John Forsyth is now leading the management team at Ex-Or, the lighting controls company recently acquired by Honeywell.
John had been working alongside managing director Neil Jones during the process of integrating Ex-Or into Honeywell’s Electrical Devices & Systems division. As the new general manager, following the retirement of Neil, John is now spearheading an ambitious investment in Ex-Or which will mean further expansion of the lighting management company.
John moved to Ex-Or from the Electrical Devices & Systems division of Honeywell where he was responsible for business development and strategy, focussing on merger and acquisition targets.
Said John: “Neil Jones and his team successfully built Ex-Or up into the market leading company it is today. It was Ex-Or’s success in the marketplace - coupled with its strong portfolio of products - that brought Ex-Or to Honeywell’s attention.”
John is now implementing an 18 month investment plan that will see a significant increase in its manufacturing capacity in Haydock, drawing on Honeywell’s electrical manufacturing capability and expertise. Under John’s stewardship there will be an increase in the number of people employed by Ex-Or and a further boost to its R & D and new product development programme. There are also ambitious plans to take Ex-Or into new international markets.
Meanwhile, the Ex-Or staff at Haydock have said farewell to Neil Jones. Neil joined Ex-Or in 1999 as business development manager, later becoming sales director, and was appointed managing director in 2003. He has been a heavyweight in the lighting business for the last 40 years. Before joining Ex-Or he had a long career at Thorn Lighting, culminating in him setting up their lighting controls division.
At his leaving ceremony in Haydock, Neil joked: “Whenever I’m asked what I do for a living I say I spent the first 20 years switching lights on and the last 20 years switching lights off.”
Now that he is retired, Neil plans to devote more time to playing golf and overseas travel. |
|
|
| LIGHTING MANAGEMENT FROM EX-OR IS THE KEY TO CUTTING GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS |
Date
: Mar 5, 2008 |
Managed lighting systems from Ex-Or Limited are helping companies worldwide to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Australian companies in particular recognise that sophisticated lighting control is the key to meeting the stringent five-star Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR).
The Investa Property Group, one of the country’s largest property companies, has achieved this five-star rating following the installation of the Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System throughout its prestigious new HQ building in Sydney.
Because of the networked Ex-Or MLS system, lighting that previously ran for very long hours is now switched off automatically in any vacant area during the day. It is programmed to react automatically and seamlessly to ambient light, occupancy and movement. There are no light switches in the building: if any occupant wants to alter a personally lit space, manual adjustment is available via hand-held controllers.
Investa Property say the Ex-Or system is saving them AU$25,000 per year on its electricity bills and reducing its annual CO2 emissions by 310 tonnes. Investa chose Energy Conservation Systems Pty Ltd, the supplier of Ex-Or equipment “because of the excellence of their technology and their experience in delivering guaranteed energy savings,” according to Craig Roussac, head of environment, health and safety at Investa Property.
”We are already seeing the benefits of the lighting system with both energy and money savings.”
The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was the driver for The Australian Football League to have the Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System installed during the lighting control retrofit of its 4,000m2 head office at Telstra Dome, Melbourne.
The Ex-Or MLS consists of motion sensors connected in a peer-to-peer network to enable zoning of corridors, open office areas and enclosed offices. Lights now operate automatically, meaning staff no longer use light switches. Lights are only switched on in occupied areas, with corridors linked to all areas to maintain a safely lit exit route whenever there is occupancy on the floor.
As a result of the installation, the AFL expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 386 tonnes per annum, equivalent to taking around 85 cars off the road permanently. As a further benefit, the capital cost of the works is expected to pay for itself within three years, providing the AFL with a positive financial return within the term of occupancy.
AFL house administration manager Bernie Dillon said: “Staff are very happy with the new system. They understand the reasons for the installation and believe it is a good move. The AFL is also very keen to set an example for the community and believe that this is a positive step.” |
|
|
| EX-OR HELPS HOSPITALS MEET THEIR CARBON-SAVING TARGETS |
Date
: Feb 6, 2008 |
Southampton University Hospital Trust is the latest in a growing number of hospitals and healthcare trusts around the country turning to Ex-Or for lighting control to help meet environmental obligations and reduce operating costs.
Southampton University Hospital Trust is one of ten NHS Trusts across England, Wales and Scotland set to cut its annual carbon footprint by 18 per cent, or 12,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, by joining the Carbon Trust’s NHS Carbon Management programme. This is also helping reduce its combined annual energy bill by more than £3.5 million per year. Lighting typically comprises 20 per cent or more of the electrical load in a hospital building, accounting for a significant proportion of total electricity costs.
Fred Rolfe, principal engineer in Southampton General Hospital’s estates and capital development department. said: “We want to cut our carbon emissions by 18 per cent over the next five years. We have identified several energy conservation schemes that will help us achieve this, and lighting control is one of those.”
Ex-Or presence detection and daylight saving systems have been installed over three floors of two blocks at Southampton General Hospital, controlling open plan office areas, meeting rooms, corridors and patients’ waiting areas.
Lighting in all areas of an operating theatre suite (apart from the operating area itself) is being controlled by Ex-Or systems. They dim and switch off the lights when the areas are out of use. The system also switches the ventilation systems on and off in line with usage patterns.
Ex-Or lighting controls will also be installed in two paediatric operating theatres in the hospital as part of the Trust’s programme to upgrade and improve patient ward lighting. Ex-Or’s daylight saving equipment will dim the lighting when levels of natural light are high, thus maintaining optimum lighting levels on the wards at all times of the day.
Southampton joins a number of hospitals around the country that have turned to Ex-Or for energy efficient lighting controls. These include Churchill Hospital in Oxfordshire, where Ex-Or systems were installed throughout its oncology department. Ex-Or recently completed an installation of lighting control systems at Lymington Hospital, New Forest, and will soon begin an installation of control systems in corridors and stairways at North Devon Hospital, Barnstaple. Ex-Or’s scene setting and dimming system has been installed in conference rooms and lecture theatres of Whittington Hospital, North London.
Ms Charmian Cvek, Ex-Or marketing manager, said: “Over the last 20 years, we have amassed extensive experience of lighting control projects within the public sector. We are increasingly seeing value for money and elimination of wasteful expenditure move higher up the agenda for health service administrators. More and more realise that every pound saved from energy cutbacks can be put towards improving patient care.”
Ex-Or manufactures and installs a wide range of systems which automatically control lighting. They enable lights to dim or brighten, and switch on and off, by monitoring the presence of occupants and by measuring the amount of natural light available. |
|
|
| DRAMATIC ENERGY SAVINGS AT FIREFIGHTERS' COLLEGE THANKS TO EX-OR |
Date
: Jan 8, 2008 |
Ex-Or has won the contract to supply and install lighting controls to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), the third largest fire and rescue service in the world.
One of the first installations under this contract has resulted in the Brigade cutting the electricity bill for its main training centre in Southwark by 25 per cent following the installation of Ex-Or lighting controls throughout the complex.
At 7,700 sq m, the specialist training centre is one of the largest buildings in LFB's estate. LightSpot presence-detecting lighting controls have been installed by Ex-Or’s own installation engineers in all parts of the centre including training suites, open plan and cellular office areas, sports hall, storerooms, classrooms, corridors and the reception area.
The Brigade plans to control lighting throughout its estate by installing Ex-Or lighting management equipment.
In addition to the LightSpot control systems installed in the training centre, Ex-Or’s lighting management systems are already in successful operation in a number of fire stations around the Capital. Many more will be installed over the next few years in the rolling programme of building refurbishments.
Ex-Or’s LightSpot presence detection system, which comprises discrete controllers with integral photocells, is employed to automatically switch lights on and off by monitoring the presence of occupants and by measuring the amount of natural light available. Different types of LightSpot are employed according to the size and type of area being controlled. Individual detector types have ranges varying from 6 metres to 60 metres. Regardless of the size of area monitored, LightSpot detectors ensure lights automatically switch on when areas become occupied, and automatically switch off when occupants leave.
The installation, which took place over a 4 week period, was trouble free and caused minimal operational disruption. The Ex-Or systems have proved reliable in use |
|
|
| HONEYWELL MAKES SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT INTO EX-OR |
Date
: Nov 15, 2007 |
Honeywell has backed its recent acquisition of Ex-Or by announcing a significant investment into its Haydock, Merseyside headquarters which will mean further expansion of the leading lighting management company.
Since announcing the acquisition earlier this year, Honeywell has demonstrated its commitment to accelerating Ex-Or’s growth and extending its global reach.
“As a result of the investment, we will gain greater manufacturing capability and expand our Ex-Or team,” says Ex-Or managing director Neil Jones.
“This shows that with Honeywell’s backing, Ex-Or will flourish,” said Jones. “Honeywell has demonstrated its commitment to accelerating growth and extending our global reach. The investment means we’ll be able to dramatically expand and enhance our offering to better serve our existing and new customers.”
Ex-Or will see a 50 per cent increase in its manufacturing capacity at Haydock over the next 18 months. It currently employs 34 at its surface-mount manufacturing and assembly operation.
Work is being carried out to triple the occupancy space of its sales and administration base at Haydock. This currently employs 40 people. Ex-Or expects to conduct significant recruiting over the next 12 months.
Ex-Or is currently enjoying record sales of its lighting controls and lighting management systems in the UK and, increasingly, in global markets as industrial and commercial organisations increasingly realise that automatic control of lighting is a cost effective way to reduce both energy costs and carbon emissions. |
|
|
| LIGHTING CONTROL FROM EX-OR PROPELS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY TOWARDS GREEN STANDARD |
Date
: Oct 3, 2007 |
Managed lighting systems from Ex-Or Limited are putting the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) well along the road to BS EN ISO 14001, the standard for environmental responsibility and sustainability.
The Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System has been installed throughout SEEDA’s five storey HQ building in Guildford to completely eliminate the unnecessary use of office lighting. Not only is this helping them meet their ISO 14001 environmental responsibilities, it has also meant that electricity consumption has been cut by up to 15[fc1] per cent - an annual energy cost saving of between £7,000 to £9,000.
Fiona Crann, head of facilities at SEEDA, said the government organisation started their route towards the ISO 14001 environmental management standard by looking at a Carbon Trust report stating that one of the greatest drains of energy in offices is the lighting. She commissioned ABS Consulting to survey their 37,000 sq ft building which is home to a workforce of more than 280.
“We asked ABS to recommend what practical and most efficient measures we could take to cut our excessive energy use which would give us the greatest return on investment. Eliminating wasteful use of lighting by automatic lighting management was the clear winner,” said Ms Crann.
“The luminaires, installed when the building was constructed in 1989, were giving a much higher overall lighting level (600 - 650 lux) than was actually required. ABS recommended that efficient lighting control, combined with more up-to-date light fittings, should bring this down to 400 lux. In addition, lighting control would ensure the lights only came on when they were needed.”
ABS specified Ex-Or for the lighting controls as they had previously used Ex-Or on various projects with excellent results. Five electrical contractors tendered for the installation and maintenance contract with Edmund Services Limited, Upminster being selected. The work was conducted out of hours, over a six-week period, to minimise disruption.
The existing recessed 2 x 36W LG2 Cat 2 light fittings were replaced by 4 x 14W T5 ALD Lighting Fusion luminaires, and the Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System was installed throughout all open plan offices, cellular offices and meeting rooms in the two wings that make up the building.
Ex-Or MLS automatically ensures that lights remain on only when needed, and automatically delivers light at optimum levels. Communicating detectors share information on occupancy and light levels to provide lighting tailored to the needs of occupants – and in conveniently configured work zones. The system automatically detects the presence of occupants, measures levels of ambient light and regulates luminaire output accordingly. In addition, it ensures lights in key circulation areas are kept on.
In some areas of the building, members of staff [fc2] have their own hand-held remote control devices allowing them to easily and instantly adjust their own light levels if required for particular types of work. Luminaires revert to the original settings when individual control is no longer required. Edmund Services’ site engineer has a system programmer which he can use to permanently alter lighting patterns when working groups and desk workstations are modified.
Said Ms Crann: “The difference is incredible. Dimming and switching of the lights is indiscernible. No longer do the lights blaze endlessly and needlessly outside office hours just because people have forgotten to switch them off. But most interesting of all, by involving the staff in these changes, and demonstrating our commitment to energy saving and sustainability, they are now finding other ways themselves of saving energy - for example by checking their IT equipment and monitors are switched off when they have finished using them.
“Before and after metering measurements were taken in the first wing to be converted, and they showed an immediate cut in electricity use of 20 per cent. Because each wing has different levels of natural light, we expect to achieve a building-wide saving of up to 15[fc3] per cent. This will give us a payback period of just over two years - a creditable return on investment indeed.” |
|
|
| LIGHTING MANAGEMENT BUILT IN FROM THE START AT 15 FETTER LANE |
Date
: Aug 30, 2007 |
Companies moving into the prestigious 15 Fetter Lane development in the City of London have the chance to reduce their carbon footprint and save energy costs, thanks to lighting management specialists Ex-Or Limited.
The 82,000 sq ft eight-storey office building has undergone a complete refurbishment with the interior being gutted and refitted and new external facades created. Consulting engineers Foreman Roberts Limited specified the Ex-Or MLS CONNECT Digital Lighting Management System throughout the building in order to provide a lighting-control foundation through which further levels of functionality could later be accessed.
Each incoming tenant was given the opportunity to specify additional lighting control equipment thereby tailoring their own lighting to their particular needs. Most floors are now occupied in the building - and all tenants, to date, have taken advantage of the opportunity, reports Foreman Roberts.
The company’s senior electrical engineer Ian Humphreys said: “It was important that every company coming into 15 Fetter Lane had the chance to create their own managed lighting system that best suited their own circumstances. It needed to be simple for them to programme and operate, independent of any building-wide PC control, and not dependent on input from the overall building’s facilities management department.
“The solution put forward by Ex-Or was ideal - it enabled us to keep within tight budgets. And so far the feedback from the tenants who have gone on to enhance their own systems has been most positive.”
The MLS CONNECT Digital lighting management system provided at 15 Fetter Lane delivers energy savings by ensuring that lights in controlled office areas are on only when they are actually needed. Enhancements to the system ensure the amount of light is automatically set at optimum levels for occupants.
Detectors within the system automatically detect the presence of occupants and measure levels of ambient light. The detectors communicate with each other to provide the correct level of lighting to occupants in designated work zones and ensure that lights in key circulation areas, corridor routes are stair-cores are kept on.
Another key benefit of Ex-Or’s system is that lighting schemes within the open-plan areas are “future proofed” to accommodate any changes in layout and working patterns. Any changes to the lighting required in the future can be carried out very easily without any rewiring being needed.
At 15 Fetter Lane, where the base-build installing contractor was EMCOR, Ex-Or LightSpot controls were built in to the back stair-cores, and Ex-Or MLS equipment was built in to the central stair-core.
Installation was simplicity itself: the use of MLS CONNECT Digital plug-in connection centres ensured a straightforward and speedy process, saving both time and labour costs. CONNECT Digital Boxes were fed by a prefabricated wiring harness system and, with pre-wired detectors and luminaires being plugged straight in to the CD Boxes, the potential for wiring faults was eliminated.
Straightforward to install, providing automatic energy-saving operation and offering the option to access further levels of functionality as required by individual tenants - MLS CONNECT Digital has delivered a cost-effective yet supremely flexible solution to meet the aspirations of this prestigious, multi-occupancy office development. |
|
|
| EX-OR ACQUIRED BY HONEYWELL |
Date
: July 3, 2007 |
Ex-Or has today announced its acquisition by Honeywell. The company, which develops, manufactures and distributes intelligent, energy-saving lighting controls, will become part of Honeywell’s Environmental Controls and Combustion (ECC) business unit, itself a division of Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions (ACS). Ex-Or will, however, retain its brand and continue to trade as Ex-Or.
Commenting on the acquisition Neil Jones, Ex-Or managing director, said: “With Honeywell’s backing, Ex-Or will flourish. Honeywell is committed to accelerating growth and extending our global reach. We’ll be able to dramatically expand and enhance our offerings to better serve our existing and new customers.”
“By joining forces with Ex-Or, Honeywell gains a competence in lighting controls to better serve both Ex-Or and Honeywell customers,” said Andreas Kramvis, Honeywell ECC president.
“I’ve been extremely impressed with Ex-Or’s proven technology and talent. It has developed an extensive range of intelligent lighting controls that save energy, create ease-of-use through remote control and wireless programming, and automation through sophisticated sensing technology.”
The company’s product range includes managed lighting systems that combine energy efficiency with presence detection technology, and is used extensively in the public and private sector, enhancing the work environment and saving organisations millions of pounds each year by reducing energy bills. Ex-Or also produces quick connection systems, emergency lighting systems, and scene-setting and dimming systems. |
|
|
| LIGHTING CONTROL - LEARNING TO MAKE LIGHT WORK |
Date
: June 7, 2007 |
The green agenda dominates the UK building and construction sector, in particular the redevelopment of the country’s educational establishments. The Building Schools for the Future programme is the biggest single Government investment in improving school buildings for over 50 years. Its aim is to rebuild or renew every single secondary school in England over a 10-15 year period. There has been a corresponding acceleration in the redevelopment of primary schools, colleges and universities, as well as a huge investment in the creation of new academies.
Protecting the environment … sustainable building … saving energy … reducing carbon emissions: these are the green issues being addressed during this ambitious building programme. Eliminating unnecessary use of lighting is proving to be an extremely effective method of cutting an educational building’s carbon footprint.
Systems from Ex-Or Limited, international leader in lighting management, automatically control lighting. They enable lights to switch on and off, and dim or brighten, by monitoring the presence of occupants and by measuring the amount of natural light available. Ex-Or’s equipment is helping schools and other educational establishments around the UK to dramatically cut costs and save energy. Their systems are being incorporated into both newbuild and refurb developments.
Lighting can account for up to half of a typical school’s electricity use. With electricity usually accounting for half of the total energy bill there is the potential to save 25 per cent of the entire electricity load.
Building services consultants Pick Everard recently completed the design of all the lighting for a major education PFI project for five schools; luminaires with a value of around £380,000 were supplied by Concord:marlin. Individual schools include Lakeside Primary School and Da Vinci Community College in Derby where the lighting is being controlled by Ex-Or LightSpot presence-detecting controls.
Ex-Or has completed a contract to install lighting management systems throughout the prestigious West London Academy. Areas where lighting is controlled by Ex-Or include offices, classrooms, performance arts theatre, sports hall and even a ¼ mile long corridor. It is estimated that lighting control is delivering a 45 per cent saving off the electrical load at the West London Academy.
Some Local Authorities have been reaping the benefits of Ex-Or lighting controls for some time now. Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council installed Ex-Or systems throughout 30 of its schools resulting in an annual £27,000 reduction in its electricity bills.
Similarly, Telford and Wrekin Council in Shropshire cut thousands of pounds a year from the electricity bills at three schools. The cost of installation was recouped in less than five years and the council has been enjoying cost savings year on year ever since.
Ex-Or has won the contract to supply lighting controls throughout the University of Manchester, the country’s largest single-site higher education institution, for the next three years. The University is embarking on the biggest programme of capital investment ever seen in British higher education. It is spending £350 million to deliver eight new buildings and 15 major refurbishment projects by 2010. Faced with escalating energy costs of up to 80 per cent, and the requirement to reduce carbon emissions, the University of Manchester sees energy conservation as a critical factor in their building programme, hence the specification of Ex-Or equipment.
Ex-Or is a public sector supplier with OGCbuying.solutions, the executive agency of the Office of Government and Commerce in the Treasury which is dedicated to providing procurement services to help central government and the wider public sector to achieve greater efficiency and value for money. |
|
|
| EXPORT BOOST FOR EX-OR AS COMPANIES SWITCH ON TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF LIGHTING CONTROL |
Date
: May 10, 2007 |
Energy saving technology from international leaders in lighting management Ex-Or Limited is being exported worldwide.
Ex-Or Ltd says it is experiencing an export boom, fuelled by companies wanting to reduce their carbon footprint in the wake of the Stern Review and other international reports on climate change.
Eliminating the unnecessary use of lighting is one of the most direct ways of dramatically cutting the amount of energy consumed by industrial and commercial organisations. Ex-Or is seeing a huge increase in sales of its energy saving lighting management products and systems around the world. Exports now account for more than 30 percent of its business.
Building on its well established presence in Europe, it now has a significant export trade with Scandinavia, Australia, India, and the Middle and Far East. In addition, its controls and systems are installed in many more countries, as it supplies its lighting management equipment on an OEM basis to most of the international lighting industry’s most prestigious names.
Said Ex-Or managing director Neil Jones: “Until recently, the ability to save money by using lighting control to cut energy costs had been the main driver for specifying our products. But now there is an increased emphasis on corporate social responsibility, and the realisation is growing that everyone has a contribution to make in reducing carbon emissions.
“Overseas companies in particular are taking the climate change message very seriously and are looking at ways they can make a difference, in particular by cutting their use of energy.”
Recently completed Ex-Or overseas contracts have included:
Installation of Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System throughout the new, multi-storey Etisalat (UAE’s leading telecoms company) building in Dubai
MLS CONNECT Digital installation at DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) for blue-chip companies including Standard Chartered Bank and Goldman Sachs
Several installations in landmark buildings in the area of Bangalore dubbed India’s “Silicon Valley”. These include headquarters buildings of IBM, Microsoft and Fidelity
Ex-Or lighting controls are delivering energy savings in every single Telstra strategic telephone exchange throughout Australia
The headquarters of the Australian Football League was retrofitted with an Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System to switch lights based on occupancy. The AFL will save 386 tonnes of greenhouse gas annually as a result. |
|
|
| MAKING LIGHT WORK AT LANDMARK OFFICE BUILDING |
Date
: Apr 11, 2007 |
Lighting control systems from Ex-Or have been installed throughout a landmark three-storey office building in Burgess Hill, near Brighton.
Ex-Or equipment was specified by Farnham-based electrical and mechanical engineers KLEC Services Ltd who installed the complete electrical and lighting systems throughout the shell and core structure.
KLEC said they had to complete the project within a tight deadline and needed equipment with proven reliability. In addition, they needed different lighting control systems to perform a variety of tasks so they required systems that would integrate seamlessly.
Said KLEC engineer Martin Clow: “We’ve had experience of using Ex-Or equipment in other projects so we knew it would commission well and give good performance. We also get an extremely good service from the Ex-Or project engineers and their teams. This was a big project but had to be fast tracked into a 16-week period, so it was vital that we had total confidence in the equipment.”
One of the main drivers for lighting control in the building was the need to observe the latest Building Regulations which stipulate that light switches must be no further than 6 metres away from the workstations of occupants. All the lights in the open-plan office areas automatically respond to the needs of the occupants so the switching requirement of the regulations is met without the need for any actual light switches at all. Lights automatically switch on and off, or dim and brighten, thanks to Ex-Or presence detectors which respond to the smallest movements made by the occupants.
Both Ex-Or’s LightSpot controls and MLS Digital Managed Lighting System were employed in the building. The MLS Digital system ensures that lights remain on only when needed, and automatically deliver light at optimum levels. Communicating detectors share information on occupancy and light levels to provide lighting tailored to the needs of occupants – and in conveniently configured work zones. In addition, it ensures lights in key circulation areas are kept on. In some areas of the building SceneSelect II, Ex-Or’s scene setting and dimming system, was installed. SceneSelect II allows users to recall, at the touch of a button, pre-set lighting scenes customised to suit the requirements of particular activities, for example dimmed lighting for on-screen presentations.
The prestigious building has recently been occupied by an international pharmaceuticals company which is using it as its UK headquarters. Compliance with Building Regulations may have been the main reason Ex-Or was originally specified but the new occupants are discovering other benefits offered by Ex-Or lighting control.
The company is making significant savings on its energy bills as automatic lighting control ensures the lights come on only when needed. Lighting accounts for up to half of a typical office building’s electricity costs; with electricity usually accounting for half of the total energy bill, there is the potential to save 25 per cent of the entire electricity load.
There is a further benefit afforded by automatic lighting control. Office buildings that rely too heavily on artificial light, and that do not take advantage of existing levels of ambient light, can impact in a negative way on the productivity and performance of people working within the building. Its employees constitute the largest proportion of any company’s running costs, so even small increases in employee productivity can significantly enhance the bottom line. |
|
|
| TESCO CLUBCARD PROVIDER CHOOSES LIGHTING SYSTEM FROM EX-OR |
Date
: Jan 25, 2007 |
Managed lighting systems from Ex-Or Ltd are being installed throughout the West London HQ building of dunnhumby, the high profile international marketing company behind Tesco’s Clubcard scheme.
All four floors of the office building in Ealing are being refurbished to provide higher quality accommodation for dunnhumby’s 350 staff. Equipment from Ex-Or, international leader in lighting management, was specified by consulting engineers, Jonathan Hart Associates and is being installed by electrical contractors, Farr Electrical.
Light fittings are being replaced during the refurb, but under its tenancy agreement dunnhumby had to retain the existing wiring, so the new networked lighting control system had to be capable of integrating with the wiring systems already in place.
The Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System has that capability. It automatically ensures that lights remain on only when needed, and automatically delivers light at optimum levels. Communicating detectors share information on occupancy and light levels to provide lighting tailored to the needs of occupants – and in conveniently configured work zones. The system automatically detects the presence of occupants, measures levels of ambient light and regulates luminaire output accordingly. In addition, it ensures lights in key circulation areas are kept on.
Doug Good, director of property and procurement with dunnhumby, said compliance with legislation and the need to cut energy were the two main reasons for choosing the Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System.
He explained: “The lighting system had to guarantee we are complying with the new Part L of the Building Regulations. The open plan office areas are built around a central atrium. Without automatic control we were faced with the prospect of fitting numerous fixed wall on-off switches to ensure occupants were no further than six metres away from a light switch.”
The significant energy cost saving resulting from lights only being on when needed was another major driver for specifying the Ex-Or MLS, he said.
“We have 10,000 sq ft of office floor space on each of the four floors, and with varying work patterns there are some members of staff still working at 10 pm at night but only occupying small areas of the total space.
“In addition, security staff patrol the building on an 24 hour basis. Before the system was installed, lights burned needlessly throughout the night and early hours as occupants did not always remember to switch the lights off. Now, the lights come on only when needed and at optimum lighting levels, so guaranteeing the most productive lit environment for our staff as well as cutting our energy costs significantly.”
dunnhumby was founded in 1989 and today works for more than 150 of the world’s leading companies in addition to Tesco, generating revenue in excess of £75m. It has other offices in Ireland and the US. |
|
|
| EX-OR CONTROL THROUGHOUT LANDMARK HSE BUILDING |
Date
: Oct 30, 2006 |
Managed lighting systems from Ex-Or Ltd have been installed throughout the prestigious newbuild £55 million Health and Safety Executive headquarters building at Bootle, Merseyside. Ex-Or were chosen by Buro Happold, structural, M & E services and lighting designers, to supply and commission their lighting control systems in the contract totalling more than £170,000.
The lighting in all the open-plan areas, cellular offices and other working areas in the 23,000 m2 four-storey building is now controlled by the Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System. In addition, Ex-Or’s scene-setting and dimming system SceneSelect II is operating in the building’s main conference and training areas.
Unusually, Ex-Or’s detectors and controllers were pre-installed off-site, along with the light fittings, into suspended lighting and acoustic ‘rafts’. This was carried out by SAS International. They were then tested and commissioned before installation into the building’s interior.
The MLS Digital system ensures that lights remain on only when needed, and automatically delivers light at optimum levels. Communicating detectors share information on occupancy and light levels to provide lighting tailored to the needs of occupants – and in conveniently configured work zones. The system automatically detects the presence of occupants, measures levels of ambient light and regulates luminaire output accordingly. In addition, it ensures lights in key circulation areas are kept on.
Ex-Or SceneSelect II allows users of the HSE conference and training areas to recall, at the touch of a button, pre-set lighting scenes customised to suit the requirements of particular activities, for example dimmed lighting for on-screen presentations.
The building occupiers’ concern for making the maximum energy savings was the main reason for the installation of the Ex-Or lighting management systems according to Andrew Bissell, lighting consultant with Buro Happold, who were working with main contractors Kajima Design and architects Cartwright Pickard.
An important part of the brief was to utilise to the full the natural light afforded by the design of the building. The building’s three blocks surround a central atrium which allows natural light into the offices. In addition a rotunda largely made of glass is a feature of one end of the building, said Mr Bissell.
“The occupants are very conscious about minimising the use of energy and ensuring the lights come on only when needed. In addition it was important that the 1,500 staff employed there would benefit from optimum light levels at all times.”
Mr Bissell added: “We chose Ex-Or because we knew of their reputation, and have installed their systems in a couple of buildings, so we knew their systems were cost effective, efficient and reliable in use.
“We did look at two lighting management companies, but we were convinced the use of distributed intelligence suited the building lighting strategy, rather than relying on a computer front end and intelligent panels in the risers. With the intelligence built in to each individual detector on the Ex-Or system, and its simple and flexible BUS, any failure is localised to just one luminaire or small group of luminaires so one fault does not take down the entire system. ” |
|
|
| PROMOTION FOR GRAHAM YOUNG |
Date
: Sept 29, 2006 |
Project engineer Graham Young is the new southern sales manager at Ex-Or. His promotion follows a restructuring and strengthening of Ex-Or’s sales operation by sales director Patrick Kelly following record business levels at the company.
Said Patrick Kelly: “We are in a period of sustained growth and record sales at Ex-Or - in particular in the South of England. In his new position, Graham - supported by his team of project sales engineers - will be responsible for all contracts and installations in the region.
“Ex-Or has doubled turnover over the past three years thanks to the increase in the number of projects, ranging up to £250k in value, that we have won. Our team of project sales engineer has grown in both size and in calibre. We now have the largest specialist sales force in the lighting controls industry.”
Graham Young, who joined Ex-Or in 2003, initially trained in defence systems at Thorn EMI’s electronic systems division. He previously worked at several electrical companies as engineer and specifications manager. |
|
|
| EX-OR SCORES AT EWOOD PARK - WHAT A RESULT! |
Date
: Aug 16, 2006 |
With more than 20,000 light fittings and lamps throughout Blackburn Rovers’ Ewood Park stadium, managers at the ground were acutely aware that huge energy savings could be made if the lights were lit only when actually needed.
Many of the areas are used only on match days, yet lights were left burning needlessly every day, all over the stadium. Now, lighting controls from Ex-Or Ltd, European leader in lighting management, have saved the day.
Lighting costs are being slashed by 50 per cent following the installation of Ex-Or LightSpot presence detection systems in the North Stand. LightSpot controls automatically switch lights off when occupants leave the monitored areas. They have been installed in offices, reception areas, function suites, ticket offices, walkways, spectator areas, concourses and are about to be fitted in staircases and private boxes.
“The difference that Ex-Or lighting control is making is incredible,” said Ewood Park stadium manager John Newsham. “Although various activities take place at Ewood Park in addition to regular matches, many areas are used only occasionally. However, human nature being what it is, lights were being left on because no-one thought to switch them off before leaving an area.
“Now the lights automatically switch on when someone enters, and automatically switch off again when the system detects the area is no longer in use. This is leading to dramatic cuts in our energy bills.”
Before the installation, lighting accounted for more than half of the total electricity load at Ewood Park and the annual electricity bill was more than £100,000 per year. With the recent increases in electricity prices, the next annual electricity bill was set to increase to almost £180,000. Briar Associates, the consultants who commissioned the Ex-Or systems after having carried out a Carbon Trust-funded survey, estimate that the lighting element of the electricity bill will be cut by 50 per cent thanks to Ex-Or lighting control - an annual saving of up to £40,000 each year once the entire lighting control project is completed.
But John Newsham has pointed out an unexpected bonus as a result of the installation. Before each Saturday game in the season, it was quite usual for staff to replace up to 300 failed lamps around the stadium. Now, thanks to the reduced amount of time the lights are left on, only a handful of lamps in the North Stand need replacing before each match - achieving savings in both staff time and the cost of replacement lamps.
Now John Newsham is planning similar lighting control installations from Ex-Or in the other two stands at Ewood Park. The project is part of a wide ranging three-year programme of improvements throughout the ground facilities aimed at cutting costly energy waste. |
|
|
| LIGHTSPOT OFFERS ALL-IN-ONE LIGHTING AND WATER CONTROL |
Date
: July 18, 2006 |
Ex-Or has added washroom management functionality to its industry-leading LightSpot presence-detecting lighting controls.
For the first time, LightSpot units installed in male washrooms not only automatically switch on the lights when a visitor enters the area, but also flush the urinals.
Previously, specifiers wanting urinal control had to specify Ex-Or’s stand-alone LooSpot washroom management system to control the automatic flushing cisterns in male washrooms.
Said Ex-Or marketing manager Charmian Cvek: “Adding this functionality to LightSpot is an elegant solution. It will appeal to architects and specifiers who want to minimise the number of visible detectors on interior walls and ceilings. Now, just one discreet LightSpot unit can automatically control both the lighting and water flushing, so cutting both energy and water costs.
“There is also a significant cost saving in fitting a combined system when compared to fitting separate lighting and water-flushing control systems in the same location.”
When a visitor enters the toilet area, LightSpot automatically switches the lights on and activates a valve in the cistern inlet pipe to flush the urinal. To ensure that hygiene is not compromised during extended periods of non-occupancy, such as overnight, weekends and holidays, the system provides a daily automatic flush to ensure that hygiene is maintained. |
|
|
| EX-OR TAKES CONTROL AT MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY |
Date
: June 15, 2006 |
Ex-Or has won the contract to supply lighting controls throughout the University of Manchester, the country’s largest single-site higher education institution, for the next three years.
The award follows the successful installation of Ex-Or’s lighting management systems and controls in a large number of new-build and building refurb projects on the huge campus over the past two years. These had been awarded via OGCbuying.solutions, the Government procurement agency for the public sector, following successful tenders.
The University of Manchester is embarking on the biggest programme of capital investment ever seen in British higher education. It is spending £350 million to deliver eight new buildings and 15 major refurbishment projects by 2010.
Faced with escalating energy costs of up to 80 per cent, and the requirement to reduce carbon emissions, the University of Manchester sees energy conservation as a critical factor in their building programme. The installation of energy efficient lighting, together with sophisticated and reliable energy-saving lighting controls from Ex-Or, is regarded as a major contributory factor in helping to curb the soaring energy bill.
“Our total energy budget next year is £15 million, and £9 million of that is accounted for by electricity,” said Chris Cunningham, Manchester University assistant mechanical and energy engineer. “We estimate that lighting alone accounts for around 50 per cent of the electrical load. With 10,000 staff and 35,000 students it is equivalent to the entire lighting load of a typical town.
“Having installed a variety of Ex-Or control systems in a number of newbuild and refurbishment projects, we have seen the dramatic cuts in energy costs that automatic and efficient lighting control can deliver. Now we are embarking on this unprecedented capital investment building programme we have decided that each and every building involved will benefit from automatic lighting control.
‘We have found Ex-Or’s equipment to be cost effective to install, flexible enough to cope easily with the constantly changing work and study layouts common in a dynamic university setting, and capable of providing significant energy cost savings by automatically delivering lighting only on an ‘as needed’ basis.”
“We first measured the amount of electricity used in a trial area, then installed Ex-Or detectors, and took the same measurements again. These showed a saving in electricity use of 69 per cent. We are satisfied that the Ex-Or equipment is delivering a solid and consistent reduction in the amount of electricity used.”
Corridors, meeting rooms, computer suites, science labs, reception lobbies, office areas and lecture theatres are just some of the locations in various University of Manchester buildings where Ex-Or equipment has been installed. Ex-Or’s LightSpot system, which comprises discrete controllers and photocells, is employed to automatically switch lights on and off, and dim and brighten them, by monitoring the presence of occupants and by measuring the amount of natural light available.
The Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System is also in use in various University of Manchester locations. This is a building-wide integrated system which manages the lights throughout a building, or throughout designated sections of the building, in an intelligent and co-ordinated way. MLS detectors “talk” to each other in order to deliver lighting exactly as required, at levels consistent with occupancy and use of the space. |
|
|
| LIGHTING CONTROL FROM EX-OR HELPS LANDMARK BUILDING MEET ACCESSIBILITY AND ENERGY GOALS |
Date
: May 10, 2006 |
Lighting management from Ex-Or Ltd was specified for the flagship headquarters building of the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) in Milton Keynes. The building was designed around the principles of accessibility, low energy consumption and use of renewable energy, in which lighting played an important part.
The stunning structure, designed by architect Peter Hall, has no corridors, large areas of internal open space, and an exterior making great use of glass. It was recently officially opened by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, patron of the SIA.
Building services consultants Malcolm Chard Associates specified Ex-Or lighting management and scene-setting systems throughout the building to ensure no energy will be wasted through unnecessary use of lighting, and also to make certain that optimum levels of light will be delivered automatically. The single storey building has an angular-sectioned roof which is designed to increase the quality and amount of daylight penetrating into the deeper office spaces.
Malcolm Chard Associates chose energy-efficient lighting using Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System presence and daylight sensing equipment within the luminaires throughout the internal open plan areas.
Said partner Malcolm Chard: “We worked closely with Sansome Hall Architects to provide a high quality working experience for the SIA. This involved taking advantage of our knowledge of the practical energy-saving technologies available to us, including lighting control.
“The lighting system we chose is a direct/indirect system of suspended luminaires located in parallel channel systems, each luminaire containing an Ex-Or MLS sensor to provide the presence and daylight regulating control required.
“We chose Ex-Or due to the proven quality of their well-developed system, competitive costs, and their ability as an independent organisation to integrate their control system and sensors into the luminaire manufacturer’s fittings.
“The main benefit of the Ex-Or MLS system is that it ensures lower energy consumption and delivers an even lighting level within the building. This is essential for a charity like the SIA - the elimination of light switches for staff using wheelchairs is a great benefit, as the lighting will automatically illuminate the rooms they visit and regulate to the optimum level.”
Ex-Or’s scene-setting and dimming system SceneSelect II, which at the touch of a button instantly produces a variety of lit environments depending on the required room usage, was installed in a large meeting room within the new building.
In addition to lighting control, the building’s other energy-saving features include solar collectors to supplement the hot water generators, high efficiency heating boilers, recycled rainwater systems, and automatically opening windows triggered by temperature fluctuations.
Paul Smith, SIA executive director, said: “This state-of-the-art facility meets our requirements for a building that is fully accessible and highly environmentally friendly. One day, all buildings will be built with these features.” |
|
|
| EX-OR CONTROL AT HEART OF SPECTACULAR LIGHT DISPLAY |
Date
: Apr 5, 2006 |
Sophisticated lighting control from Ex-Or Ltd is at the heart of one of the most spectacular lighting displays of 2006 - the relit Clifton Suspension Bridge which marks an historic 200th anniversary.
The illuminated historic bridge was the centrepiece of major celebrations in Bristol to mark the birth of the designer of the bridge, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, in 1806.
Ex-Or, European leader in lighting management, was commissioned by Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust to provide SceneSelect II, its scene-setting and dimming system. It will be employed to control the thousands of LEDs, fluorescent tubes and lamps which will deliver the spectacular lightshow throughout the commemorative year and for many years to come. The Trust was advised by Bristol engineering consultants Silcock Dawson.
Thanks to Ex-Or’s SceneSelect II, Bridgemaster John Mitchell will be able to summon up a variety of pre-programmed lit displays simply by using a touch screen control situated in the main control office.
For most of the time during the year, the lights on the bridge will come on after dark in a fixed pattern. But for special events, including the ceremonial switch-on of the lights, New Years Eve, and special festivals, the lights can be set up in a selection of patterns to make dramatic alterations to the lit appearance of the bridge. Rather than having to individually switch on separate lights or groups of lights to create a desired lit scene, it requires just one press on the Ex-Or touch screen control to summon the already programmed scene.
Ex-Or SceneSelect II controls the 3,000 one watt LEDs adorning the chains from which the 214 metre, grade 1 listed bridge is suspended above the Avon Gorge; the fluorescent tubes beneath the handrail along the complete length of the pedestrian walkway; and the lamps concealed within the arches of the two 26 metre high towers at each end of the bridge.
Said Bridgemaster John Mitchell: “Unlike the old lights, which were really just a light show, the new illuminations are designed to emphasise the aesthetics of the bridge itself so that people can admire its form.
“The old lights were only capable of being switched on or off. Now we can summon pre-programmed lit scenes to show off the bridge in different ways. The bridge is an icon so the new lights will enable it to really display its plumage when the occasion merits it.”
The differently lit scenes were pre-programmed into the Ex-Or SceneSelect II control system when it was commissioned after installation. Supplied Ex-Or software allows further programmed lit scenes to be easily created at any time in the future. |
|
|
| EX-OR HELPING MAKE LIGHT WORK THROUGHOUT HARROW CIVIC CENTRE |
Date
: Jun 21, 2005 |
Ex-Or are playing a key role in the ongoing lighting refurbishment at Harrow Council’s Civic Centre. The ambitious programme is designed both to create a comfortable lit environment for the council’s employees and achieve a significant reduction in excessive energy use. In addition, it is helping the council automatically comply with lighting legislation.
Ex-Or’s LightSpot controls have been incorporated into the new lighting scheme so that, for the convenience of occupants, lighting is provided automatically whenever it is required. When areas are vacated, however, or levels of natural light are already more than adequate, the LightSpot controls ensure that the lights automatically switch off or dim to eliminate energy waste. In addition, Ex-Or’s scene-setting and dimming system SceneSelect II has been installed in some areas; this enables users to choose from a range of different lighting scenes at the touch of a button.
The main Civic Centre in Harrow is a four storey building, covering 16,000 sq m, that was built in the 1950s. Lighting throughout the third floor has been refurbished by Tectonics Business Design and Management Ltd who also installed the Ex-Or equipment. So far, committee rooms, cellular offices, open plan office areas and corridors have benefited from lighting refurbishment.
During later stages of the work, other areas of Harrow Civic Centre, including libraries, restaurants, meeting rooms and customer services areas, together with adjacent civic buildings, will enjoy lighting refurbishment. From the start of the programme, Tectonics has worked with Harrow Council’s premises and facilities division and with Ex-Or on the design, specification and installation of the new lighting systems, which incorporate energy efficient dimmable light fittings from Fagerhult.
Ex-Or’s LightSpot controls dim and brighten the lights, and switch the lights on and off in open plan and cellular office areas and corridors by monitoring the presence of occupants and by measuring the amount of natural light available. This ensures the amount of light delivered is at an optimum level for staff working in the monitored areas. The lights automatically switch off when LightSpot detects the monitored areas are no longer occupied.
Ex-Or SceneSelect II has been installed in a number of the council committee rooms. It enables occupants to select, from a variety of pre-set lighting configurations, the most appropriate lit environment to suit that particular use of the room. During a committee meeting, for example, the room is brightly lit so that occupants can consult documents and take notes. Another pre-set scene ensures the lights are dimmed when an AV presentation takes place. There are other pre-set scenes tailored for use when the rooms are being cleaned, or when lectures and presentations are being held.
One of the drivers for installation of lighting controls has been Harrow Council’s commitment to cutting excessive energy use. Lighting can account for up to half of a commercial building’s electricity use; with electricity usually accounting for half of the total energy bill there is the potential to save 25 per cent of the entire electricity load.
In addition to achieving dramatic energy cost savings, Harrow Council specified lighting controls to ensure their employees benefited from optimum levels of light. It has been demonstrated that staff work more productively when lighting levels are optimised. Automatic lighting control also guarantees adherence to all current legislation governing office lighting. |
|
|
| WORLDWIDE WAR ON RISING ENERGY COSTS FUELS EX-OR’S EXPORT DRIVE |
Date
: Mar 17, 2006 |
Lighting management leader Ex-Or Ltd has seen a huge increase in sales of its energy saving products and systems around the world as energy costs continue to soar.
The company has enjoyed a 20 per cent year-on-year sales growth over the past three years, largely fuelled by an increase in its overseas sales. Building on its well established presence in Europe, it now has a significant export trade with Scandinavia, Australia, India, and the Middle and Far East.
Its controls and systems are installed in many more countries, too, as it supplies its lighting management equipment on an OEM basis to many of the international lighting industry’s most prestigious names.
Said Ex-Or managing director Neil Jones: “Exports now account for more than 20 per cent of our business and the increase in our overseas activity has contributed to our doubling of turnover over the past three years.
“We predict exports will account for 30 per cent of our business by the end of this year as overseas customers continue to recognise that effective and automatic lighting management is an ideal way of curbing ever-rising energy costs.”
Recently completed Ex-Or overseas contracts have included:
· Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System controls have been installed throughout the landmark Microsoft HQ building in Bangalore, India by Wipro Lighting, India’s largest lighting manufacturer, who are sole Indian agents for Ex-Or
· The installation of Ex-Or lighting management systems in the Malta Bank of Valetta
· An office building in South Melbourne, Australia, has received the first 6 Star Green Star rating, the highest rating yet to be awarded to a building refurbishment under the Australian Government’s environmental rating scheme. This follows the installation of the Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System by ECS Energy Conservation Systems Pty Ltd, Ex-Or’s exclusive distributors in Australia and New Zealand
· Ex-Or lighting management systems have been installed in a large number of prestige buildings in Dubai, including the Al Rostamani Tower and the Awqaf Building by Ex-Or sales agents TECON Ltd
· The installation of Ex-Or lighting management systems in Customs stations throughout Norway and Sweden
Ex-Or recently made a £300,000 investment in its state-of-the-art surface-mount electronics manufacturing plant at its Haydock base to help meet rising overseas demand for its products. |
|
|
| NEW FACE ON EX-OR'S GROWING TEAM |
Date
: Feb 22, 2006 |
Ex-Or has appointed another project sales engineer to handle contracts in London and the South East.
The appointment of Ian Clough follows a significant increase in the number of contracts awarded to Ex-Or for its energy-saving lighting management and control systems in both newbuild and refurbishment projects throughout the region.
Ian Clough has spent more than 14 years in the lighting industry, having held sales management positions with Cooper Lighting & Security and Thorn Lighting.
Ex-Or sales director Patrick Kelly said: “As fuel costs continue to soar, energy management is rapidly moving up the agenda for organisations in the public and private sectors. This has led to a huge increase in the number of large projects in the South East that we have won. The appointment of Ian will ensure we have the resources to continue providing a high level of sales support to our clients.” |
|
|
| FINANCIAL COMPANIES APPRECIATE COST SAVINGS MADE BY LIGHTING MANAGEMENT |
Date
: Jan 23, 2006 |
Managed lighting systems from Ex-Or Ltd are cutting the energy bills for companies working within an office building in Guernsey.
Financial institutions, including the Butterfield Bank (Guernsey) Ltd, accountants Deloitte Touche, and accountants Walbrook are operating out of Regency Court, the prestigious newbuild four-storey building where an extensive fitout has recently been completed.
To ensure the lights remain on only when needed, and the amount of light is automatically set at optimum levels for occupants, building services contractors Lorne Stewart plc specified the Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System throughout the large open-plan areas and cellular offices on all four floors.
MLS Digital incorporates detectors which communicate with each other to provide the correct level of lighting to occupants in designated work zones. The system automatically detects the presence of occupants, measure levels of ambient light, and regulates luminaire output accordingly. In addition, it ensures lights in key circulation areas are kept on.
Another key benefit of MLS Digital is that lighting schemes within the open-plan areas have been “future proofed” to accommodate any changes in layout and working patterns. Any changes to the lighting required in the future can be carried out very easily without any rewiring having to be carried out.
By using MLS CONNECT Digital, Ex-Or’s innovative lighting connection system, Lorne Stewart were able to install the managed lighting system more quickly and easily than with conventional wiring and connection methods. MLS CONNECT Digital’s custom-designed CD Box provides plug-in simplicity, allowing luminaries and detectors to be connected with no on-site wiring, thereby eliminating wiring faults.
In the stairwells, corridors and toilets at Regency Court, Ex-Or LightSpot presence detection systems, comprising detectors which continuously monitor occupancy and control light switching accordingly, were installed.
Energy cost saving was the main reason for the installation of lighting management systems, according to Malcolm Taylor of Lorne Stewart who carried out the installation work for Premier Developments of Guernsey. Lighting can account for up to half of a commercial building’s electricity use and with electricity usually accounting for half of the total energy bill, there is the potential to save 25 per cent of the entire electricity load.
Whilst the cost-saving benefits of cutting energy use are appreciated by the financial institutions within the building, they are taking advantage of other benefits also provided by lighting management. A suitably lit working environment ensures the comfort of occupants who work more contentedly, and productively. Furthermore, lighting management ensures compliance with health & safety and lighting regulations including current VDU regulations and CIBSE guidelines. |
|
|
| EX-OR WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR GUILDFORD COLLEGE OF LAW |
Date
: Nov 29, 2005 |
Sophisticated lighting management and control systems from Ex-Or Ltd were specified for the showcase two-storey extension to Guildford College of Law’s learning resource centre.
Consulting M and E engineers Johnathan Hart Associates, working on behalf of architects Frederick Hearl and Gray, wanted a lighting management system to control the RIDI Lighting fittings they had chosen for the extension.
Said Johnathan Hart Associates’ senior electrical engineer Mike Noyes: “Lighting plays a key part in this prestigious new extension, which features a dramatic glass frontage, an interior with a high-tech feel to it, and a dramatic, aluminium-finish circular staircase.
“From a design point of view the aesthetics of the lighting fittings were important, and we chose RIDI fittings to match the ambience of the building. But the function of the lighting was equally important, which is why we turned to Ex-Or to provide lighting management and control.”
Ex-Or’s LightSpot presence detection system was installed throughout the building. LightSpot detectors respond to the movements that occur when an area is occupied, automatically switching on the lights if the area is occupied, and switching them off again when occupants leave. The detectors also monitor levels of natural light and ensure the lights do not switch on if there is sufficient daylight.
The extension is a multi-functional workspace where activities can include conferences, meetings, presentations and lectures. Ex-Or’s SceneSelect II, the automatic scene-setting and dimming system, was installed so that previously programmed, differently lit environments could be summoned at the single touch of a button. In one area where a partition is used to create two smaller areas from one large area, when the partition is moved the lighting system automatically detects the change and resets the lighting accordingly. SceneSelect II also enables presenters and lecturers to control both the built-in plasma screen and the lighting from their laptops.
Said Mike Noyes: “It was the flexibility and seamless integration of lighting functions that led us to specify Ex-Or. Another important factor was that the lighting can be easily and quickly reprogrammed on site rather than having to send in a contractor. The facilities manager just has to point a hand-held programmer at one of the detectors, download information on current settings and then key in and beam the new settings back to the lights.
“In addition, the Ex-Or system also offered substantial capital savings over PC-based, software-driven lighting management control systems that were being considered at the time, both on the cost of the equipment and the cost of installation.”
Installation contractors benefited from the specification of Ex-Or’s CONNECT connection systems which offer plug-in simplicity together with installation and operational savings. It utilises the purpose-designed plug-in box which provides a simple command chain without the need to manually alter the unit’s settings or re-programme the system.
Added Mike Noyes: “As well as delivering the most suitable and visually attractive lit environment, automatic lighting control dramatically cuts the unnecessary use of lighting, so cutting the energy bills for the Guildford College of Law.” |
|
|
| PATRICK KELLY IS EX-OR'S NEW SALES DIRECTOR |
Date
: Nov 1, 2005 |
Patrick Kelly, southern sales manager for Ex-Or Ltd, European leaders in lighting management systems, has been promoted to sales director.
He will lead a national and international team of project sales engineers who are working on a large number of refurbishment and new-build projects for blue chip clients within the private and public sectors and a variety of prestigious international projects.
Managing director Neil Jones, who fulfilled the additional role of sales director before Patrick’s promotion, said: “We have doubled turnover over the past three years thanks to the increase in the number of projects, ranging up to £200k in value, that we have won.
“Our sales force has grown in both size and in calibre - we now must have the largest sales force in the lighting controls industry, and certainly our project sales engineers have the greatest combined number of years of relevant experience and expertise between them.
“With Patrick taking on the role of sales director, this gives me greater opportunities to further develop the company, open up new markets, and help increase our export activity.”
Patrick joined Ex-Or four years ago, having held engineering, sales and management roles at several of the UK’s leading lighting and lighting controls companies. He lives in Northampton but is now moving to the North West. Ex-Or is now looking to recruit a new member of the sales team to contribute to the southern sales effort. |
|
|
| EX-OR MAKES LIGHT WORK OF UNIVERSITY VIDEO CONFERENCING |
Date
: Oct 3, 2005 |
The recently established Hull York Medical School is reaping the benefits of an innovative integrated lighting and video logistics solution.
Delivered by Ex-Or Ltd, European leaders in lighting management systems, and Video South Medical Television, the video-conferencing specialists, the solution has dealt with a significant logistics problem: half the medical school students are based at the University of Hull and half at the University of York, which are 40 miles apart.
By combining automatic scene-setting lighting control and the latest video-conferencing technology, the solution enables a single lecturer to deliver his lecture simultaneously to groups of students at the lecture theatres on both sites.
At one site, the students see the lecturer “in the flesh”, hear his presentation, are able to ask him questions, and see his visual aids on screen. At the remote site, the lecturer appears on screen, along with visual aids material, and students have the same opportunities to talk to the lecturer via the video link.
Ex-Or’s scene-setting and dimming system SceneSelect II is one key element at the heart of the project. Pre-set lit environments are available to the lecturer via a simple LCD touch screen graphic panel on his lectern. He selects the pre-set lit scene most appropriate for the theatre where he is giving the lecture, and that automatically creates the most appropriate lit scene in the remote lecture theatre. Students at both locations have the optimum lighting for them to make notes, see the lecturer and see the screens showing his presentational material.
Ex-Or SceneSelect II delivers a variety of lit environments which not only accommodate lecture sessions, but also scenes which illuminate exit routes once lectures have finished, brightly lit scenes for when the theatres are being cleaned, and alternative lighting patterns when the theatres are used for purposes other than lectures.
Giles Davidson, head of administration at Hull York Medical School who specified the system, said the video-conference system has helped to minimise the logistical problems of a split site medical school. Without the system, the alternatives would have included excessive travel by groups of students and lecturers and duplicated delivery of lectures.
“Since this is a joint medical school, with students on both campuses, we needed a reliable, flexible ‘self-drive’ system to deliver lectures in two places at once,” said Mr Davidson.
Other benefits of Ex-Or SceneSelect II include added flexibility - whenever the usage of the lecture theatres change, the system can be reprogrammed very easily to suit the new requirements. In addition, medical school management are enjoying the benefits of dramatically increased lamp life as SceneSelect II automatically protects the lamps from high inrush currents and power surges. It also cuts down energy costs by ensuring the lights do not remain on, or burn at excessively high levels, when they are not required. |
|
|
| EX-OR ENSURES NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY FOR EXOTIC FISH AT WORLD MUSEUM, LIVERPOOL |
Date
: Sept 15, 2005 |
The health of hundreds of exotic fish and rare marine creatures is safe in the hands of Ex-Or Ltd, European leaders in lighting management.
Ex-Or’s scene-setting and dimming system is being used to simulate sunrise and sunset by World Museum Liverpool in the quarantine areas of its unique Aquarium section, which displays the fish in their underwater habitats. Mimicking the natural lighting patterns of the fish is vital to their health.
“Our SceneSelect II system is used in all sorts of situations where differently lit scenes need to be called up, but this is certainly the most unusual use we have come across so far,” said Ex-Or marketing manager Charmian Cvek.
A massive £35 million investment has doubled the size of World Museum Liverpool and added to its attractions. The Aquarium is one of the museum’s most popular sections. Hundreds of colourful tropical fish live in displays representing coral reefs, lagoons and other settings, each with life-like models of rocks, corals and seaweeds.
Said Charmian: “Fish are brought into the museum from all over the world, but before they can be placed in the public display areas they must be quarantined for three months to ensure they are free from disease. They are kept in a number of quarantine rooms, and it is vital that the patterns and times of sunrise and sunset mirror their natural habitats.
“And this is why they came to Ex-Or. We supplied and fitted SceneSelect II controls throughout all the quarantine rooms. The controls can be easily programmed by the user to pre-set the desired lighting scenes and then recall them at the touch of a button. In this case, the sunrise and sunset times match the time of day and night appropriate for the particular type of fish in each quarantine room. SceneSelect II causes the lights to automatically brighten, and then later dim down, over a 20 minute period to simulate the sun rising and setting.”
She said the Museum needed a lighting system that was totally reliable in operation so there would be no threat to the fish due to lighting failure. The system also had to be easy for museum staff to programme in order to match the different lifecycle patterns of the many breeds of fish brought in for quarantine.
Ex-Or’s SceneSelect II offers many other user benefits - increased lamp life and energy cost savings amongst them - but for World Museum Liverpool it is its ability to safeguard their rare and exotic fish that is paramount. |
|
|
| EX-OR HELPS BERKELEY HOMES MEET L2 BUILDING REGULATIONS AT LANDMARK LONDON DEVELOPMENT |
Date
: Aug 10, 2005 |
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.” |
|
|
| EX-OR MAKES LIGHT WORK AT THE DOLPHIN SHOPPING CENTRE, POOLE |
Date
: Mar 17, 2005 |
Managers at the Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole, Dorset, can now quickly and easily change the lit environment of the shopping malls to exactly match their lighting needs, thanks to the installation of scene-setting and dimming systems from Ex-Or Ltd.
Ex-Or SceneSelect II controls all the lighting in the malls and public areas of the 43,000
sq m shopping centre. Optimum lighting levels precisely matched to the usage of the centre are achieved, resulting in significant energy cost savings.
Consultant engineers ACDP (Integrated Building Services) Ltd, Maidenhead specified Ex-Or SceneSelect II systems as a vital part of the lighting refurbishment which involved the installation of energy efficient discharge lamps throughout the shopping centre. Rushmoor Mechanical Services Ltd, Sandhurst were the installing electrical contractors.
Managers wanted to create three separate lit environments to suit different types of activity within the shopping centre over the 24 hour period. During normal trading hours, a high level of lighting is required for the safety and convenience of the 11 million shoppers per year that visit the 113 retail units in the centre. A lower level of lighting is needed when the centre is closed to the public but a certain amount of light is required for cleaning and maintenance purposes. The third lit environment automatically comes into operation when the centre is largely unoccupied and just very low lighting levels are required for security purposes.
Managers can program in the automatic switch from one lit scene to another using a simple graphic panel incorporating an LCD touch screen. In addition, floor plans can be simulated on individual screen pages on the touch screen so that lighting scenes in different parts of the shopping centre can be easily changed or adjusted whenever required.
David Kemp-Pickett, deputy centre manager said: “This large scale lighting refurbishment has brought the Dolphin Shopping Centre into the 21st century and we have been getting positive feedback about the improved lit environment from shoppers and retailers.
“We are particularly pleased by the benefits provided by the Ex-Or SceneSelect system - it does exactly what it says. It’s easy to use, enabling us to program differently-lit scenes that we can subsequently recall by touching the graphic control panel. Because it automatically delivers the levels of light suited to what is actually happening at the centre at any particular time, it means that we are only using the amount of light we really need - and that means we are making significant energy cost savings.”
Other benefits of Ex-Or SceneSelect II include added flexibility - whenever the layout or usage of an area of the shopping centre changes, the system can be simply reprogrammed to suit the new requirements. In addition, the Dolphin Shopping Centre management will enjoy the benefits of dramatically increased lamp life as SceneSelect II automatically protects the lamps from high inrush currents and power surges. |
|
|
| KEITH DAVISON TO SPEARHEAD EX-OR'S SALES PUSH IN SCOTLAND |
Date
: Feb 11, 2005 |
Scottish lighting industry heavyweight Keith Davison has been appointed by Ex-Or Ltd, to head up its sales campaign in Scotland.
Under Keith’s direction, Ex-Or is confident it will further build on its significant presence north of the border. He will concentrate on the installation of Ex-Or’s lighting systems and controls in larger commercial newbuild and refurbishment contracts.
Keith worked for Thorn Lighting in Scotland for more than 34 years in a variety of roles including design engineering, project management and sales. Latterly he was project manager for outdoor lighting.
He said Ex-Or’s reputation for innovative lighting management solutions that are reliable and effective in operation encouraged him to join the company.
“The commercial property sector is booming in Scotland so there are tremendous opportunities for Ex-Or and this explains their decision to significantly increase their presence here,” Keith commented.
Ex-Or has recently completed major lighting control installations at the Central Exchange office development in Glasgow and Napier University, Edinburgh. |
|
|
| EX-OR PROVIDES THE CARBON TRUST WITH LIGHTING CONTROL |
Date
: Jan 11, 2005 |
Ex-Or Ltd has just installed an energy-saving automatic lighting control system at the Carbon Trust, the independent company set up by Government to help the UK meet its climate change obligations.
Ex-Or, European leader in lighting management, installed its LightSpot system on the 8th, 9th and 10th floors of the Carbon Trust office in Clement’s Inn, London.
The system switches the lights on and off by monitoring the presence of occupants and by measuring the amount of natural light available. Open plan office areas, smaller cellular offices and also meeting rooms are controlled by the system. Around the perimeter of the open plan area, the lights remain off when levels of daylight are sufficiently high. In meeting rooms, which are used irregularly, lights are automatically switched off when LightSpot detects the rooms are no longer occupied.
The Carbon Trust decided to install lighting controls to improve the energy efficiency of its offices. Energy efficiency is the simplest and most cost-effective way of cutting carbon emissions and so help combat climate change.
Lighting can account for up to half of a commercial building’s electricity use and with electricity usually accounting for half of the total energy bill, there is the potential to save 25 per cent of the entire electricity load.
Peter Hambly, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Carbon Trust said: “We do exactly what all small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can do to cut carbon emissions. We have an environment policy and an action plan where we look at and review all our systems as a business and work out ways where we can become more energy efficient.
“Automatic lighting control can dramatically cut the unnecessary use of lighting. We estimate that, following this installation, we are cutting the amount of electricity used by at least a quarter. It also helps create a better working environment for us as it means everyone is working in the correct levels of light.” |
|
|
| COUNCIL ANTICIPATING CUTS OF UP TO 40% FROM ENERGY BILL FOLLOWING £1 MILLION OFFICE REFURBISHMENT |
Date
: Dec 15, 2004 |
Northamptonshire Borough Council is expecting potential savings of 40 per cent on the lighting bills at its Cliftonville House HQ following a £1 million refurbishment. The dramatic cost cuts have resulted from the installation of new high efficiency luminaires and an integrated managed lighting system from Ex-Or Limited, European leader in lighting management systems.
The new lighting scheme was part of an extensive internal refurbishment of the 1970s two storey block. Energy cost saving was the main reason for the Council to update its lighting system.
But the Council is now enjoying other benefits as a result of the installation. A much more comfortably lit environment for the 600 employees has been created. And the lighting scheme has been “future proofed” to accommodate any changes in layout and working patterns in the open space areas. The total flexibility of the wiring means that any changes to the lighting required in the future can be carried out very easily.
Tony Lack, Northamptonshire Borough Council’s building services and energy manager, said: “The lighting system had not been upgraded since Cliftonville House was first built. Consequently, the lit environment was poor, and we were conscious that energy was being wasted due to the old-fashioned fittings and the fact that lights remained on constantly even when not needed.
“The complete internal refurbishment gave us the chance to install more energy efficient luminaires and a lighting management system that would ensure we are meeting current VDU Regulations and CIBSE Guidance, and would also deliver measurable energy saving results.”
As part of the refurbishment, the ceilings were replaced and high efficiency, low energy luminaires to LG3 standard were installed. The Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System was employed throughout the building, controlling luminaires in open plan offices, cellular offices and meeting areas, the main reception area, stairwells and corridors. The system ensures light levels are automatically optimised in response to occupancy and ambient lighting levels.
In addition, the Ex-Or MLS CONNECT Digital quick connection system has been used to install the lighting management system. This simplified installation system eliminates wiring faults and cuts installation time dramatically. Its built-in flexibility means that whenever changes in working zones or groups are made, the lighting scheme can be simply adapted without the need to alter hard wiring.
Said Tony Lack: “We are delighted with the results. The dingy 1970s lit environment has gone for ever and the staff are now working in correctly lit open plan surroundings with an ‘airy’ feel. This is a modern local authority with a dynamic working environment, and the built-in flexibility of the managed lighting system means there are no worries about altering hard wiring whenever working patterns are changed in the future. Previously, changes in working groups meant that we were always having to rewire the electrics and move light fittings.
“The properly-lit environment means the staff are more productive, and they appreciate the improved lighting. They also like the fact they can use their own remote controllers if any individual changes to lighting levels are required.
“But above all, it is the fact that the lights are only on when needed that is the key result. Lights automatically switch off when areas are vacated, so lights do not burn endlessly, wasting energy.”
He said that although the amount of light had doubled to 500 lux with the new luminaires and the lighting management system, an estimated 40 per cent less energy is actually being used.
“I estimate that the new lighting system is achieving an annual saving of £10,000 from our electricity bills. So it is saving money for Council Tax payers and also helping the Council achieve its goals of cutting energy and meeting its environmental obligations.” |
|
|
| HARDMAN JOINS EX-OR'S GROWING TEAM OF PROJECT ENGINEERS |
Date
: Oct 4, 2004 |
Ex-Or is further expanding its UK-based team of project engineers with the appointment of Karl Hardman to look after East Anglia and the Northern Home Counties.
Karl (38) has a strong track record in sales of electrical products. He held senior sales positions at two electrical wholesalers in Cambridge before joining Eaton Electrical in Oldham six years ago. There he was responsible for the sales of new products under the MEM250 brand including lighting dimmer systems.
Said Ex-Or Managing Director Neil Jones: “We are in a period of sustained growth and record sales at Ex-Or - in particular in the South of England - so it was necessary to further strengthen our team of project engineers. Karl’s experience and background make him particularly suitable to advise consultants, contractors and specifiers on our range of innovative and proven lighting management systems.
“Karl’s appointment means we can further improve our high standard of system design and service to our customers in the South.” |
|
|
| EX-OR MAKING LIGHT WORK AT PRESTIGE CIVIC CENTRE |
Date
: Aug 2004 |
Ex-Or Limited was chosen to control the lighting throughout Harlow Council’s prestige new £8.7 million Civic Centre.
Ex-Or was specified to provide a range of controls and systems to automatically switch and dim the lights according to need. Its brief was to achieve maximum energy cost savings for the council, ensure automatic compliance with lighting legislation and deliver the most productive lit environment for Civic Centre staff.
The Ex-Or MLS Digital Managed Lighting System was chosen to meet these needs. It incorporates detectors which communicate with each other to provide the correct level of lighting to occupants in designated work zones. The system automatically detects the presence of occupants, measure levels of ambient light, and regulates luminaire output accordingly. In addition, it ensures lights in key circulation areas are kept on.
The imposing three storey building, part of a major town centre redevelopment scheme, includes open plan and cellular administration offices on the upper floors, a customer contact centre, an art gallery at the mezzanine level and the council chamber. At ground level, restaurants and a coffee shop overlook the relocated water gardens. Altogether, 1,200 luminaires throughout the building are now controlled by the Ex-Or MLS.
Kevin Barry, of Jones King Partnership, the lighting consultants for the scheme, said Harlow Council was keen to meet its environmental responsibilities by ensuring energy wastage was kept to a minimum in their new headquarters. With optimum levels of light being constantly maintained by the Ex-Or MLS, Harlow Council is benefiting from energy cost savings of between 40 per cent and 70 per cent when compared to a non-managed lighting system.
Said Kevin Barry: “In addition to energy reduction, the requirement was for a lighting management system that would create the most productive working atmosphere for occupants of the Civic Centre whilst automatically ensuring compliance with lighting legislation such as the latest requirements of the Building Regulations - Ex-Or fitted the bill on all counts.
“In addition, having specified Ex-Or for a local government building in Wiltshire, we knew the system was easy to install and offered proven reliability. The ease by which building occupants can alter their own individual lighting levels with a hand held remote control was another factor in making the decision.”
As well as giving individuals control of their own lighting levels, the scene-setting function of the MLS system was specified to allow the building manager to pre-set a variety of differently lit environments to suit the varied use made of some areas. These scenes can easily be recreated by a touch of a button. In the council chamber, the system delivers pre-set lighting settings for full council meetings, audio visual presentations and small group sessions. The reception areas have a variety of pre-set lit scenes - subtly illuminated during times of public access, with higher levels of lighting during cleaning times, and with levels of lighting suitable for security purposes out of hours.
A further feature of the Ex-lighting installation was the employment of the Ex-Or CONNECT quick connection system which ensures seamless integration between Ex-Or equipment and the luminaires. It provides significant benefits when compared with traditional installation methods, including the elimination of wiring faults due to its simplicity, installation time savings on site and dramatically reduced installation costs.
The Civic Centre is now fully occupied. Building work took 18 months and was completed on schedule. Building contractors for the scheme were Wilson Bowden construction Limited. Lighting consultants Jones King Partnership commissioned Lorne Stewart plc to install the Ex-Or MLS. |
|
|
| EX-OR CONTROLS THE LIGHTING AT FIFE COLLEGE REDEVELOPMENT |
Date
: July 12, 2004 |
A major rebuilding project at a further education college demanded a special kind of managed lighting system, which Ex-Or were uniquely equipped to design and supply.
Originally a 1970s tower block building, Fife College in Kirkcaldy is being rebuilt in two phases into a modern state-of-the-art learning centre. Both phases incorporate managed lighting systems provided by Ex-Or.
As a college with changing and unpredictable levels of space occupation, it was important for lighting to be easily programmable and quickly changeable according to people movement and usage. Among the building users’ special requirements was the facility to control lit areas such as dance and fitness studios, performance spaces, restaurant and beauty therapy areas. Cost-effectiveness, flexibility, ease of installation and reliability of the system were also called for.
“Ex-Or were chosen for their product knowledge, experience and ability to deliver,” said Derek Main, Senior Electrical Engineer with consultants RMJM. “They supplied SceneSelect II and MLS Connect Digital equipment, which were both their latest systems which we knew could be relied on because of Ex-Or’s reputation.”
The special lighting requirements were met by SceneSelect II, which allows different lit environments to be created and stored in memory, then recalled at the touch of a button. For example, the restaurant can be given a romantic lighting ambience for evening diners, then switched to a more brightly lit setting for early morning cleaning.
With MLS Connect Digital, electrical contractors N.G.Bailey, Edinburgh branch, were able to install the managed lighting system more quickly and easily than with conventional wiring and connection methods. Utilising a simple plug-in CD box, MLS Connect Digital allows luminaires and detectors to be connected with no on-site wiring, thereby eliminating wiring faults.
Ex-Or’s system allows for optimum energy efficiency by automatically switching lighting on and off according to room occupation. With sporadic use of many areas in the college, this helps avoid wasted energy and ensures that staff and student comfort levels are constantly maintained. The project included the Ex-Or LightSpot presence detection system, comprising detectors which continuously monitor occupancy and control light use accordingly.
“The client needed a competent, commissioned system that would fulfil the lighting requirements and provide maximum flexibility in use,” added Derek Main. “Ex-Or were given the specifications in terms of space and potential usage, and came up with a fully detailed design. It was also important that the lighting system complied with the latest Scottish Building Regulations, which are more stringent than the English equivalent. Ex-Or made sure that all these requirements were fully satisfied.” |
|
|
| EX-OR COMPLETES £200,000 LIGHTING REFURBISHMENT CONTRACT FOR LAND REGISTRY |
Date
: April 5, 2004 |
Ex-Or has successfully completed a £200,000 contract to supply, install and commission new lighting systems at the Land Registry Wales office building in Swansea.
The Ex-Or Digital MLS Lighting System, which automatically delivers optimum lighting conditions to match the use of the work space and levels of natural light, has been installed throughout the two storey office building.
The Land Registry says it is enjoying electricity cost savings in the order of 65% following the installation of the system in areas including open plan and cellular offices, meeting rooms, corridors and communal areas.
The project involved removing existing luminaires which provided poor lighting and afforded no element of control over light levels or hours of use.
Ian Lloyd, Facilities Manager, wanted a lighting management system that would deliver light levels in response to occupancy and taking account of ambient lighting; enable easy reconfiguring of light levels, working zones and access routes without any rewiring; and provide the ability to locally override lighting to suit individual tasks.
In addition he wanted the new system to ensure safe entry and exit at all times for occupants by automatically providing lighting to key circulation area and exit routes whenever even a single occupant was detected within the building. A further requirement was to incorporate integral addressable emergency lighting testing systems to fully comply with BS 5266 for emergency lighting.
Ex-Or’s solution was to replace the existing lights with an integrated system of HF regulating luminaires controlled by the Ex-Or Digital MLS Lighting System. Using communicating presence detectors within each luminaire, information on the state of occupancy within the building is shared between luminaires. The integral digital detectors also provide individual luminaires with daylight regulation.
Following installation, the results were plain to see. Luminaires automatically dim and brighten, or turn on and off according to need. The system also ensures that lighting is provided to occupants in convenient and comfortable zones and that lights are held on automatically in key circulation areas such as corridors and exit routes.
As part of the scheme, all the existing emergency lighting was replaced by incorporating Ex-Or’s BS 5266-compliant Failsafe emergency lighting testing system into the office luminaires, along with associated exit signs and exit bulkheads.
Ian Lloyd said: “Ex-Or’s imaginative and innovative design solution has delivered dramatic electricity cost savings - in the order of 65%. It gives our staff the ideal lit environment. And as all the installation took place outside working hours, there was absolutely no disruption to our delivery of customer service.” |
|
|
| EX-OR'S NEW PHOTOCELL DELIVERS SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE LIGHTING CONTROL |
Date
: Mar 18, 2004 |
Ex-Or have launched a new high performance photocell which provides simple and effective lighting control in almost any commercial interior setting where lights could be left on unnecessarily.
The Ex-Or LightSpot photocell automatically switches off the lights when levels of daylight are sufficiently high, and dims and brightens them as light levels fluctuate.
Its slimline, flush-mounted form factor means the Ex-Or LightSpot MP2000UF is discreet and operates almost invisibly to the end user.
Uniquely, the LightSpot Photocell can control any type of modern ballast, being completely compatible with digital (DSI and DALI), analogue, 1-10V, and non-dimmable fluorescent ballasts. This ensures ease of installation and commissioning, and complete effectiveness in use.
A passing cloud timer, that can be easily programmed by the user, prevents nuisance switching of the lights when light levels fluctuate rapidly.
Adrian Fowell, Ex-Or Product Manager, said: “This versatile product is an effective and elegant one-stop solution designed to suit applications where a full presence detection system is not required. Its ability to ensure artificial light is only delivered when needed will ensure dramatic savings in electricity costs are achieved.” |
|
|
| FLEXIBILITY WAS THE KEY AT YORKSHIRE WATER'S NEW HQ BUILDING |
Date
: Dec 10, 2003 |
Changing levels of occupation and space usage at Yorkshire Water’s new three-storey office headquarters, together with a need to incorporate acoustically adapted luminaires, created a unique challenge for Ex-Or Ltd, European leaders in lighting management.
Every new office building has particular design features that require special lighting solutions, and Yorkshire Water’s new build project in Bradford was no exception.
Yorkshire Water needed a lighting management system that would deliver light only when needed – when office areas were occupied and when levels of natural light were not sufficiently high. The system needed to combine maximum flexibility with optimum efficiency.
The challenge was to link the control system with another supplier’s luminaires which had been specially designed for acoustic reasons, and the whole installation had to be fixed to concrete instead of the usual suspended ceilings.
The solution was the Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System and Ex-Or worked closely with consultants Arup and contractors Shepherd Engineering Services to ensure that all objectives were successfully fulfilled.
The main objective was to provide lighting that could be controlled automatically according to occupancy and natural lighting levels, so delivering significant energy cost savings, while also being capable of variation according to changing usage of the office space.
Direct-indirect luminaires were chosen to allow light to be projected upwards as well as downwards and, unusually, there was also an acoustic design requirement in the building which the light fittings helped to solve. The open, exposed structure of the offices and the concrete ceilings gave rise to high noise levels, so Arup’s solution was to specify Artemide luminaires with specially designed wings to achieve sound suppression and reduce reverberation time. Ex-Or then supplied suitable photocell detectors, which were factory fitted into the luminaires before installation.
Almost 400 of these luminaires were fixed, and a number of other stand-alone detectors were installed, as part of the Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System. In order to match the building’s design features and aesthetics and to fit as neatly as possible with the luminaires - at the same time as achieving the desired technical performance - Ex-Or used their discreet MLS1200DIW digital presence detectors.
“We encountered the concept of office ‘churning’ on this project,” commented Ex-Or sales manager Gary Pearson. “This means that office accommodation in a building of this kind occupied by a company like Yorkshire Water is subject to ‘churning’ or regular change, involving re-configuration of the space occupied by different sections or departments. Every change has an impact on the lighting in each particular area, so we had to design a system that could cope with every eventuality.”
The programming of different zones with corridor linking in such a building would normally need to be controlled by a central PC, but Ex-Or introduced a simpler, more user-friendly feature. The system can be managed via a hand held infrared programmer which can re-set lighting levels in different zones quickly and easily. This ensures that response to changes of occupation can be made much more readily and efficiently.
“Ex-Or came up with the solution we needed,” said Arup’s senior electrical engineer Andrew Hudson. “The MLS programming needed to be highly versatile and simple to operate. The detectors and controls do the job extremely well and provide the client with all the flexibility they need.” |
|
|
| EX-OR'S OVERSEAS SALES PUSH CONTINUES |
Date
: Sept 23, 2003 |
Ex-Or Limited, European market leader in presence detection systems for lighting control, is continuing its overseas expansion in the Middle East, India and Australia.
Sales Director Neil Jones has just returned from a tour of its extensive network of sales teams and agents with a number of confirmed high value installation contracts.
These include the installation of the Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System in the Japanese Embassy in Canberra; a large LightSpot lighting controls contract in a 64 storey Emirates Airlines staff apartment block in Dubai; and a number of MLS installations in various sites across India.
Said Neil Jones: “Lighting management has been a key issue in the newbuild market in the Middle East, since the region’s building and development explosion started some time ago.
“We capitalised on that right at the start when we appointed the leading sales agents TECON Ltd, with offices in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and we have since built sales of our lighting management systems dramatically throughout the Middle East. It has been the same story in India since we appointed Wipro Lighting, India’s largest lighting manufacturer, as our sole Indian agent. ECS Energy Conservation Systems Pty Ltd are Ex-Or’s exclusive distributors in Australasia.
“As in this country, energy saving is an important issue in the design of newbuild projects and in building refurbishment projects in those regions. Effective and automatic lighting management is an ideal way of saving energy costs.”
He added that the overseas markets recognised the other benefits of lighting management which include flexibility, ease of use, improved environment for building occupants and guaranteed adherence to lighting related health and safety legislation. |
|
|
| LIGHTING CONTROL IS THE KEY TO WAREHOUSE ENERGY COST SAVINGS |
Date
: Aug 4, 2003 |
Savings of up to 70 per cent on electricity bills in large warehouses, storage facilities and distribution centres are easily obtainable thanks to automatic lighting control from Ex-Or Ltd.
As European leaders in lighting management, Ex-Or manufactures and installs a comprehensive range of controls and systems that keep lighting under control in any large commercial or industrial building.
Ex-Or’s controls switch the lights on automatically when they are needed and off again when they are not - they automatically react to the presence of occupants, switching the lights off when the area is no longer occupied. Ex-Or’s systems also respond to the amount of natural light available, ensuring the lights stay off when levels of natural light are sufficiently high.
As warehouses becoming increasingly automated, and have a very low staff occupancy rate, the opportunity to completely prevent the unnecessary burning of lights is a compelling one for buildings and facilities managers and energy managers.
At the heart of Ex-Or’s presence detection systems is the LightSpot detector, a discrete ceiling or wall mounted unit that monitors occupancy and then accordingly controls the existing luminaires.
The Long Range LightSpot is a powerful and versatile presence detector specially developed for lighting control in large industrial and commercial buildings such as warehouses. A single Long Range LightSpot can control areas of up to 60 x 60 metres.
Buildings and facilities managers and energy managers have reported significant bottom line cost savings following the installation of LightSpot from Ex-Or. A retail distribution centre in Hayes achieved a 73 per cent saving in its annual electricity costs of £26,000. In the year following the installation of LightSpot, its annual bill was reduced by £18,980. And it will continue to make similar savings in each and every subsequent year.
At a London facility comprising bookstack aisles, Ex-Or’s automatic LightSpot system was trialed against the existing manual pull switch controls, with hours-run meters recording the time the lights remained on. Under normal control, the lights burned for 76.7 hours in the monitored twelve day period. But with LightSpot controls installed, the equivalent light usage was just 2.4 hours - a saving of 95 per cent.
Long Range LightSpot systems offer attractive pay back periods. It can take as little as 8 months for the cost of an installed system to have paid for itself from the resulting electricity cost savings. |
|
|
| CIVIL ENGINEERS' HQ GETS LIGHTING FACELIFT |
Date
: July 2, 2003 |
This glass-roofed, high-ceilinged library and office inside a listed building in central London required a sophisticated lighting system to both control the balance of natural and artificial light and provide optimum light levels for occupants. Ex-Or Ltd, European leaders in lighting management, provided the solution.
The library of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ headquarters on Parliament Square in London was built with a curved glass roof to allow external light in, but its high ceiling meant that lighting conditions at desk level were relatively poor, especially at evening time. Used both as an office and a library for reading and reference purposes, with a number of computer and VDU screens in use, there was a need to update and improve the room’s lighting environment for both staff and visitors.
The challenge was therefore to provide a system that would control lighting levels and create optimum lighting conditions for PC work and reading, whilst incorporating energy-saving features. At the same time it was important to ensure that the installation blended with the architectural design features of a unique listed building.
The lighting design was provided by Architectural Lighting & Controls Ltd, based on a combination of low-energy suspended luminaires and directional accent spotlights. The acclaimed Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System was built at the heart of the system. The Ex-Or MLS delivers energy cost savings and lighting levels that both increase staff comfort and ensure compliance with health and safety legislation.
Under MLS, communicating presence detectors swap information about occupancy and levels of natural light and automatically deliver optimum lighting conditions to occupants in their individual work zones. Lights automatically dim and brighten according to natural light levels, and switch off if areas become unoccupied. MLS also holds lights on automatically in key circulation areas throughout the office areas.
Groups of luminaires are easily programmed by the designated buildings and facilities manager or energy manager to suit the working needs of staff. This is achieved at the touch of a button - just by using a hand-held remote programmer. As work patterns change in the future, so the manager can simply alter the behaviour of groups of luminaires by using the programmer. Individual users can temporarily alter the lighting levels of their own lights if they wish, by using their own remote hand-held controllers.
Luminaires in 30 metre parallel runs were installed in the Institution of Civil Engineers’ library. Each run comprises 20 fittings which incorporate Ex-Or’s MLS2000DIW photocell detectors.
The luminaires’ response to changing levels of light is controlled by DSI (digital signal interface) ballasts. In addition, separate gimbal spotlights with photocell detectors fitted to the ceiling bulkhead are used to illuminate the glazing bars of the roof structure and compensate for variations in changing daylight lighting conditions.
“This arrangement ensures that maximum benefit is gained from natural light,” comments Ex-Or ‘s southern sales manager Patrick Kelly. “And, with T5 low energy tubes fitted to the luminaires, this makes the set-up very cost-efficient in operation.”
The whole managed lighting system is controlled by way of a switch plate, which allows lighting levels to be manually adjusted. Once set, lighting within the library is then automatically regulated according to changes in the natural light coming in through the glass ceiling.
The system also eliminates upward reflection from the suspended luminaires while allowing the highlighting of architectural details in the roof area. Downward lighting to the desk areas is simultaneously optimised.
Robert Tuck, Director of Architectural Lighting & Controls Ltd, said: “As a listed building with special architectural features, there were limitations to the design and installation in terms of the amount of cabling and gear that could be visible.
“ Ex-Or gave us a solution with detector heads attached to the infill plates which were especially suitable for the small, slim contoured fittings. This created a neat, compact effect that blended easily into the surroundings and achieved the desired aesthetics, whilst achieving optimum lighting performance.” |
|
|
| DRAMATICALLY UPGRADED SCENE-SETTING AND DIMMING SYSTEM |
Date
: May 8, 2003 |
Ex-Or has dramatically upgraded its acclaimed scene-setting and dimming system to give added user benefits.
SceneSelect II allows the user to create and then recall a variety of pre-set lit scenes at the touch of a button. It has been designed for a variety of applications where differently lit scenes are needed either for different times of the day or for occasions when the location is used for different activities.
Locations ideal for SceneSelect II include public buildings (galleries, exhibition centres, museums, conference centres); domestic and commercial locations (pubs, restaurants, cinemas, shop, offices); and educational establishments (schools, colleges, lecture theatres, laboratories).
Pre-set scenes are easily programmed by the user by adjusting the light levels for different lighting channels, which can be lights or groups of lights within designated areas.
User benefits include:
Reliability - there is no possibility of total failure as there is no centralised microprocessor
Flexibility - when the layout or usage of an area changes, the system can be simply reprogrammed to suit the new requirements
Dramatically increased lamp life - lamps are automatically protected from high inrush currents and power surges
Energy savings - SceneSelect II is an intelligent lighting system which means lighting levels can be adjusted to compensate for ambient light, or turned off when areas are not in use, so providing considerable cost savings
Ease of installation and configuration - SceneSelect II is easier to install and takes less time to configure than conventional wiring systems.
Said sales director Neil Jones: “Ex-Or pioneered the use of sophisticated controls that automatically dim or switch lights on and off depending on need, and is now European market leader in presence detection systems for lighting control. SceneSelect II is a logical extension to our range of lighting controls and lighting management systems.” |
|
|
| EX-OR'S SYSTEMS CHOSEN FOR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LIST |
Date
: April 10, 2003 |
Ex-Or's energy management systems meet the energy efficiency criteria as detailed on the Enhanced Capital Allowance website www.eca.gov.uk .
This new accreditation has been given to Ex-Or by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) who jointly own the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme with Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Inland Revenue and Carbon Trust who manage and promote it.
Specifiers of energy saving and environmentally friendly products will now look for the distinctive Energy Technology List logo – which signifies that purchasers of listed products could benefit from a helpful cash flow boost, shorter payback period and most importantly, long-term energy savings.
Said Ex-Or sales director Neil Jones: “Achieving this listing so early in this new scheme is a great achievement for us, and is a testament to the quality, reliability and reputation of our lighting management systems.
“Now lighting and consulting engineers, building owners and facilities managers can specify our products and enjoy not only the benefits of saving money by being able to control their lighting, but also the additional 100% capital allowance savings delivered by the government’s ECA scheme.”
Anyone investing in the approved energy saving products on the Energy Technology List can claim a 100% first year allowance on their investment.
Qualifying expenditure can include not only the actual cost of buying the equipment but other direct costs such as installation and transportation of equipment to site, as long as the equipment is installed correctly and is plant and machinery.
Added Neil Jones: “The ECA scheme provides businesses with a real cash flow boost and can shorten the investment’s payback time. And, companies can also benefit from the knowledge that they are purchasing the latest energy efficient products meeting energy efficient criteria which can help them enjoy considerable energy savings.”
Ex-Or’s systems which meet energy efficient criteria include: LightSpot presence detection controls, which automatically turn lights off when they are not needed; MLS Digital Managed Lighting System which provides communicating managed lighting for offices; and MLS Connect Digital which provides quick and easy installation of complete lighting management systems in office buildings.
This is the second time in just a few months that Ex-Or’s systems have been found to have met set energy efficiency criteria. At the end of 2002, Ex-Or had its contract with the Government procurement agency OGCbuying.solutions renewed for the fifth time. Ex-Or now has an unbroken run of 20 years as a Government-accredited supplier of lighting management products and systems to the public sector. |
|
|
| EX-OR MARKS 20 YEARS OF GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT RECOGNITION |
Date
: Mar 7, 2003 |
Ex-Or Ltd has had its contract with OGCbuying.solutions renewed for the fifth time.
OGCbuying.solutions (previously TBA) is an executive agency of the Office of Government and Commerce in the Treasury and is dedicated to providing procurement services to help central government and the wider public sector to achieve greater efficiency and value for money.
Ex-Or has now had an unbroken run of 20 years with the agency as a Government-accredited supplier of lighting management products and systems to the public sector.
Neil Jones, Sales Director for Ex-Or, said: “We are delighted to have had our contract renewed yet again. The continuing accreditation means public sector procurers can carry on choosing Ex-Or’s products and systems knowing that they have met exacting OGCbuying.solution’s standards of quality and value for money.”
OGCbuying.solutions confirmed: “Under the terms of our contracts customers can place orders directly with the supplier safe in the knowledge that all tendering procedures have been complied with, saving time and providing value for money.”
The OGCbuying.solutions contract covers the specification, supply and installation of Ex-Or’s complete range of lighting management systems. This includes:
• LightSpot presence detection controls, which automatically turn lights off when they are not needed
• MLS Digital Managed Lighting System which provides communicating managed lighting for offices
• FailSafe emergency lighting testing systems
• SceneSelect scene-setting and dimming systems
• MLS Connect Digital which provides quick and easy installation of complete lighting management systems in office buildings. |
|
|
| FURTHER EXPANSION AT EX-OR |
Date
: Jan 29, 2003 |
Expansion continues at Ex-Or Limited, European leaders in lighting management systems, with the appointment of another project engineer for the South West, Robert Powell.
The continued growth of Ex-Or’s team of Southern-based project engineers reflects the increasing number of lighting projects being won by Ex-Or in the region.
Robert has a strong background in electrical equipment sales. He spent three years at MEM Delta specialising in wiring accessories and switchgear. Before that he worked at Electrium and City Electrical Factors. |
|
|
| NOW INSTALLATION OF LIGHTING SYSTEMS IS QUICK AND EASY WITH EX-OR'S CD BOX |
Date
: Dec 13, 2002 |
Ex-Or Ltd, European leader in lighting management, has launched its MLS CONNECT Digital quick connection system, the perfect solution for the quick and easy installation of complete lighting management systems within larger office buildings.
MLS CONNECT Digital combines plug-in simplicity with the latest lighting control technology to offer dramatic installation and operational savings.
The system offers access to all the features and benefits of the Ex-Or MLS Digital lighting management system via a purpose-designed plug-in Connect Digital (CD) Box. Thanks to automatic “device present” recognition, there is no need to manually alter the system’s settings. Electricians have only to install CD Box and then simply plug in the luminaires and presence detectors.
Other benefits of the low cost MLS Connect Digital system include:
• Wiring faults are eliminated as luminaires and detectors delivered direct to site have already been pre-wired.
• Installation time is significantly reduced, meaning that buildings can be occupied much sooner.
• The cost of installation is cut dramatically thanks to installation time savings of up to 70 per cent.
• The CD Box can be installed as shell and core with master overrides and emergency light testing
• For building fit-out, lighting and presence detection upgrades can be carried out easily and economically, and luminaires and detectors can be repositioned without major disruption.
The CD Box, which is at the heart of the system, has five detector inputs, five switch input ports and ten luminaire output sockets. Its slim profile means it is suitable for almost any application even when ceiling void space is restricted.
The system comes with the remote control MLS Programmer that can be easily used to set all the programmable features within the MLS Digital detectors. |
|
|
| EX-OR NOW MAJOR PLAYER IN INDIAN LIGHTING MARKET |
Date
: Aug 22, 2002 |
The overseas expansion of Ex-Or Limited continues with the appointment of Wipro Lighting, India’s largest lighting manufacturer, as sole Indian agent for Ex-Or’s range of lighting controls.
Wipro carried out worldwide research to find a manufacturer that could provide a large enough range of lighting controls to complement its existing product offering.
Wipro approached Ex-Or and negotiations between Wipro chief executive Rajesh Kochnar and Ex-Or sales director Neil Jones culminated in an agreement that Wipro would be sole distributors of Ex-Or products in India.
Said Wipro technical manager Makarand Sainis: “We are India’s largest lighting manufacturer and supplier of light fittings and accessories for various lighting projects including commercial, retail, merchandising, road, and landscape lighting.
“We were looking for a reliable international manufacturer of lighting controls and dimming systems. We found that Ex-Or had a vast range of lighting controls and that Ex-Or is the leading organisation in UK and Europe in terms of lighting controls and dimming systems.”
Ex-Or, which is European market leader in presence detection systems for lighting management, now has a significant sales presence outside of Europe including Norway, Australian and the Middle East. |
|
|
| EX-OR IN CONTROL IN BELFAST'S PRESTIGIOUS NEW BUILDING |
Date
: March 18, 2002 |
Environmental concerns, the need to make savings in electricity costs and the desire to deliver staff comfort - these were the main drivers that led to the installation of The Ex-Or MLS throughout one of Northern Ireland’s most prestigious new office buildings.
The four-storey Phoenix Natural Gas headquarters and operations building occupies a 2.2 acre site in Belfast. More than 500 luminaires are controlled automatically by The Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System. Communicating presence detectors swap information about occupancy and levels of natural light, automatically delivering optimum lighting conditions.
Almost 250 people, comprising engineers, sales, and administrative staff, work in the building which is mainly open plan with some cellular offices and meeting rooms.
Said Phoenix facilities manager Chris Losty: “By its very nature our company is most energy conscious and aware of its environmental obligations and it was necessary to extend these principles into the design and operation of the new building.
“In addition we wanted a system which would ensure the lights dimmed or switched off when there were sufficient levels of natural light.”
He said that The Ex-Or MLS delivers considerably more benefits than stand-alone lighting control options and time-of-day lighting management systems. MLS detectors communicate with each other to provide the correct level of lighting to occupants in work zones and hold lights on automatically in key circulation areas.
During the installation, discrete, flush-mounted detectors were located in the ceilings within the Phoenix building, each of which regulate six linear fluorescent luminaires and four downlighters via a two-core cable which sends a control signal to the digital regulating ballasts. There are a total of 55 detectors on each floor. Communication between the detectors is via a signal bus conveniently routed with the mains wiring.
Groups of luminaires were then easily programmed using the hand-held remote MLS infrared programmer. Both fluorescent luminaires and energy saving lamps are controlled by The Ex-Or MLS. As work patterns change in the future, so Chris Losty can simply alter the behaviour of groups of luminaires by using the programmer. Individual users can temporarily alter the lighting levels of their own lights if they wish, by using their own remote hand-held controllers.
The end result has been the successful delivery of three key objectives for Phoenix Natural Gas.
• Phoenix’s main aim was to extend its environmental concerns into the fabric of it headquarters building using automatic lighting control. Luminaires burning when they are not needed, or at a much higher light level than required, is not environmentally friendly.
• Luminaires which automatically dim down or switch off when not needed ensure that significant cost savings are made on the building’s electricity bill.
• The automatic delivery of correct lighting levels at all times creates the most comfortable working environment for its staff and ensures Phoenix is meeting all current and anticipated future health and safety legislation covering lighting levels and VDU use.
Said Chris Losty: “In the months following the opening of our building the staff have been totally happy with their lit environment. We are satisfied that The Ex-Or MLS is delivering significant electricity cost savings and the system has proved reliable in use.”
Harvey Group plc, mechanical and electrical contractors in Northern Ireland, said they wanted to obtain The Ex-Or MLS from Malone Lighting, Ex-Or’s Irish agents, following a demonstration of its capabilities. Harvey Group then worked closely with Ex-Or at the design development stage to provide a value for money and flexible system that met the needs of Phoenix Natural Gas and came within their budget.
Said Harvey Group managing director Brian Harvey: “We carried out the complete mechanical and electrical installations and we continue to provide the planned maintenance to Phoenix Natural Gas. We found the Ex-Or system simple to install and it has proved to be reliable and simple to operate. The Ex-Or lighting was one of a number of elements in the project described by the principal contractor Bovis as ‘very innovative and well received’.”
The fluorescent luminaires and energy-saving light fittings were specified by M & E Whitby Bird and Partners, London. Architect was Cartwright Pickard.
The Ex-Or MLS is available in two versions, analogue and digital. New MLS Digital offers enhanced ballast compatibility - both DALI and DSI ballasts can be controlled. Digital technology means that more flexibility can be built into the system. For example, specially designed lit environments can be created automatically when areas are first occupied and later vacated.
In addition, various features from Ex-Or’s other lighting management and control systems can be seamlessly incorporated into MLS Digital to offer greater flexibility. |
|
|
| DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ENHANCES EX-OR'S ACCLAIMED MLS MANAGED LIGHTING SYSTEM |
Date
: March 7, 2002 |
Significant enhancements have been made to The Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System with the introduction of the latest digital technology.
MLS Digital is a completely new system of communicating lighting management which maintains all the original functionality of The Ex-Or MLS and introduces exciting and unique features never seen before in a system of this kind.
MLS Digital is designed to provide optimum lighting conditions and maximum flexibility for office lighting interiors of any size. MLS Digital ensures adherence to current lighting legislation and offers significant energy cost savings.
Driven by the presence of people rather than time of day, communicating presence detectors exchange information with each other to deliver optimum lighting levels.
In particular, MLS Digital ensures lighting is provided to occupants in comfortable and convenient zones and that lights are held on automatically in key circulation areas.
Enhanced ballast compatibility is offered by Ex-Or MLS Digital - now both DALI and DSI ballasts can be controlled. The introduction of digital technology means that more flexibility can be built into the system. For example, specially designed lit environments can be created automatically when areas are first occupied or later vacated.
In addition, various features from Ex-Or’s other lighting management and control systems can be seamlessly incorporated into MLS Digital to offer greater flexibility.
Ex-Or MLS Digital can be delivered via luminaire-integrated or remote mounted detectors, or a combination of both to suit individual situations. Added user control is provided by the provision of the MLS programmer, a remote unit which the buildings/facility manager uses to set all the programmable features of the system. Individual users can temporarily alter the lighting level of their own lights by using remote control override units. |
|
|
| MIKE HANLEY IS EX-OR'S NEW PROJECT MANAGER FOR LARGE INSTALLATION PROJECTS |
Date
: Feb 5, 2002 |
Ex-Or has appointed Mike Hanley as project manager. He will be responsible for ensuring the smooth delivery of Ex-Or’s larger lighting management installations in the UK and overseas.
His appointment recognises the continuing growth in the number of high value lighting management contracts being undertaken by Ex-Or for both new-build and large-scale refurbishment projects.
Mike (50) joins from Clipsal where he was sales manager for lighting controls. Before that he spent ten years at Thorn as contracts manager for Thorn Security and then sales manager for Thorn Lighting. He is married, with two children, and lives in Blackburn, Lancashire.
Said Ex-Or sales director Neil Jones: “Mike’s appointment is an important one to Ex-Or as we continue to attract the larger supply and install projects. Mike’s role will be to manage the entire contract from confirmation of order to final handover and commissioning, to ensure trouble-free delivery to customers.” |
|
|
| COUNCIL SAVES THOUSANDS OF POUNDS IN ENERGY COSTS THANKS TO EX-OR |
Date
: Oct 31, 2001 |
Telford and Wrekin Council in Shropshire has cut thousands of pounds a year from the electricity bills at three schools following the installation of presence detection equipment from Ex-Or Ltd to control the lighting.
The cost of the installation will be recouped in less than five years and the council will enjoy maintaining the cost savings for many years after that.
Mike Webb, the council’s energy manager, arranged for Ex-Or’s Standard, Mid Range and Long Range LightSpot presence detectors to be installed at Hadley School, Priorslee Primary School and Phoenix Secondary School. LightSpot equipment ensures the lights go off automatically and remain off once classrooms and other areas are vacated. Additional photocells automatically turn off the lights when levels of natural light are sufficiently high. The equipment is simple to fit and is extremely reliable in use.
Head teacher at Hadley School, Mike Jones, is a committed environmentalist whose prime objective was to save energy. But once Ex-Or’s equipment was installed his comment was: “Our electricity bills have halved.”
The installation of Ex-Or’s detectors took place at the same time as a lighting upgrade and refurbishment scheme that included the installation of high frequency luminaires and a change to 400 Watt metal halide tubes.
At Priorslee, built only 15 years ago, several features to reduce energy costs had already been built in. But money and energy was being wasted as teachers left the lights on all day whether they were required or not. Following the installation of the Ex-Or equipment head teacher Wendy Moore said: “The improvements are amazing, especially as the cost was kept so low. We expect our electricity bills for lighting to fall by around 30 per cent as a result of these improvements.”
In fact, figures show that the installation costs at Priorslee will have been recouped by the resulting cost savings in less then three-and-a-half years.
At Phoenix Secondary School, research showed that the school was using around double the average cost per pupil for energy at around £60 per pupil per years. And one of the main causes was teachers and pupils leaving lights on needlessly – even, in some cases, during evenings and holiday periods. Savings of £5,000 were made in the first year of operation following the installation of Ex-Or controls.
Schools across the UK have been reaping the benefits of lighting control from Ex-Or for the past 12 years. |
|
|
| SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS TO MID RANGE LIGHTSPOT |
Date
: Aug 29, 2001 |
Performance improvements to the acclaimed Ex-Or LightSpot range of presence detection systems continue with enhancements being made to the Mid Range presence detector.
The new Mid Range uses low-power microwave technology to control lighting by presence detection in rooms up to 20 m x 20 m. Classrooms, conference rooms and storage aisles are some of the typical areas where Mid Range can be installed.
The new version of Mid Range is even more sensitive to movement, ensuring that lights will not switch off when monitored areas are occupied, even when the shortest time delays are selected.
The improved design makes Mid Range even easier to install and commission. There is now more connection space in the unit and the commissioning controls are readily accessible when the unit is installed in position.
With an integral photocell, Mid Range will hold the lights off as people enter an already adequately lit area. The photocell reacts both to natural light and to light levels in adjacent zones.
With this improved range of detectors, and The Ex-Or MLS Managed Lighting System, Ex-Or - European market leader in presence detection systems for lighting management - offers presence detection systems for every commercial location.
The ability of LightSpot presence detectors to automatically detect when areas are occupied and switch lights on and off according to occupancy and existing light levels offers organisations several benefits. These include: significantly lower energy costs; the automatic creation of the most comfortable lit environment for occupants; and guaranteed adherence to the relevant Building Regulations and Health & Safety legislation.
Ex-Or offers a complete turnkey project management service. This covers system design, supply, installation, commissioning and on-going maintenance. |
|
|
| EX-OR DESIGNS HIGH TECH LIGHTING SOLUTION FOR SCHOOL SCIENCE LABS |
Date
: Aug 22, 2001 |
When the time came to refurbish two science laboratories at a school in Blackburn, Lancashire, the local education authority chose a high tech lighting solution.
A scene-setting and dimming system capable of providing a variety of differently lit scenes was installed at Witton Park High School.
In addition to controlling light settings and patterns, Ex-Or SceneSelect also automatically operates the blinds and the ventilation system. Ex-Or Limited, European market leader in presence detection systems for lighting management, developed SceneSelect to allow users to simply and quickly create a variety of differently-lit scenes that can be subsequently recalled at the touch of a button.
But at Witton Park School, the education authority wanted SceneSelect to do more than just create different lighting scenes. David Wilson, senior electrical design engineer at Blackburn and Darwen Borough Council who specified the system, explained.
“The two science rooms had archaic light fittings with just on-off switches before the refurbishment. We wanted a high tech solution, in keeping with the science and technology lessons which take place in the rooms.
“Some lessons which use video or other AV presentations require a darkened environment with not only the lights dimmed but also with the window blinds down. So there is a SceneSelect setting which automatically sets the lights and closes the blinds.
“With the blinds down the windows are closed. So SceneSelect automatically triggers the internal ventilation system and extractors to come on. All this is at a touch of a button, either on the switch on the wall or on the remote control held by the teacher.
“We are delighted with the system, it has proved to be reliable and easy to use, and the teachers are more than happy with it. And because there’s a great enthusiasm for anything high tech amongst the pupils who use the science rooms, they really love it too.”
The education authority’s own contractors installed the system and programmed the scenes in accordance with the teachers’ needs. The cost per classroom for equipment and installation was around £2,000, a fraction of the total cost of the refurbishment. |
|
|
| EX-OR HELPS POLICE SET THE SCENE |
Date
: Aug 22, 2001 |
State-of-the-art scene setting and dimming has been installed in the main lecture theatre at the Force HQ of South Yorkshire Police in Sheffield.
At the touch of a button, presenters can choose between a variety of lit environments to suit the nature of the presentation or briefing and to meet the needs of the audience.
SceneSelect, from Ex-Or Limited, allows users to simply and quickly create a variety of differently-lit scenes that can be subsequently recalled at the touch of a button.
Alan Dodson, energy management officer at South Yorkshire Police, explained that the 30-year-old light fittings in the lecture theatre were to be replaced by new high frequency fittings. But the existing analogue dimming system proved incompatible with the digital ballasts of the new fittings.
Ex-Or, European market leader in presence detection systems for lighting management, is part of in a rolling programme of installing presence detection systems throughout the South Yorkshire building estate. When Sales Manager Gary Pearson heard about the incompatibility problem in the lecture theatre he said SceneSelect would solve the problem.
Said Alan Dodson: “Ex-Or demonstrated that SceneSelect would work with the new fittings, and subsequently they installed both the fittings and the SceneSelect system for us.
“We are extremely happy with the way SceneSelect meets our needs, and the system has proved entirely reliable in use.
“In addition to its ability to provide different lit environments at the touch of a button, presence detection is built in. So if people leave the lecture theatre with the lights still on, they switch off automatically after a short period. This means we are making a significant saving in energy costs as well as benefiting from its ability to create differently lit scenes.”
Once SceneSelect was installed, senior officers and other users were asked to describe the ideal lit environments for their presentations and briefings. Several environments are now available at the touch of a button. These include: front of theatre lit, audience section dim, for visual presentations; all lights on; and front dim with audience section lit for AV presentations when members of the audience need to make notes. |
|
|
| SEEING THE LIGHT AT SCHOOL THEATRE IN BOURNEMOUTH |
Date
: May 25, 2001 |
Dramatic lighting improvements at Bournemouth’s flagship school theatre have reaped benefits for audiences and actors alike.
The 470 seat theatre at St Peter’s School, Southbourne, has long enjoyed the reputation of being the finest school theatre facility in the region since it was first built around 40 years ago.
But school managers realised that the lighting provision left a lot to be desired. The lights were either on ... or off. There was no dimming facility to add to the atmosphere of theatrical productions. When small classes met in the theatre there was no provision for selective lighting. And when the last person left the theatre, the lights were left burning needlessly if no-one thought to switch them off.
Dave Sandham, of St Peter’s School, said the opportunity was taken to include scene-setting and dimming control lighting during the refurbishment of the lighting system and the installation of low energy, long lifespan lighting.
The school’s installer took advantage of the beneficial prices available to the public sector from OGCbuying.solutions (formerly TBA The Buying Agency) which sources and evaluates products and approves them for use by public sector purchasers.
SceneSelect, from Ex-Or Limited, European market leader in presence detection systems for lighting management, was chosen to control the lighting at St Peter’s School theatre. SceneSelect allows users to simply and quickly create a variety of differently-lit scenes that can be subsequently recalled at the touch of a button.
SceneSelect has been designed for a variety of applications where differently lit scenes are needed either for different times of the day or for when the location is used for different activities. Individual lighting scenes may be easily pre-set by the user via the SceneSelect module. Each of the eight pre-set lighting scenes can be recalled by pressing a single button. Each scene can be dimmed or brightened temporarily without changing the pre-set levels.
The cost of the installation, including expert commissioning from Ex-Or, was less than £1,500.
“The ability of SceneSelect to provide different lighting patterns for the different uses to which we put the theatre is ideal for our needs,” said Mr Sandham, who is head of drama at the school.
“We might have 30 children in for a small lesson, or 250 Sixth Formers in for a presentation, or a full house of 470 for a theatre production. We can pre-set lighting levels and patterns to meet all those needs and more because SceneSelect is so adaptable. We are extremely pleased at how effective SceneSelect is and how easy it is to set it up and use it to create the lighting atmospheres we want.”
Before the installation, the lighting set up was “primitive”, he said. The lights were either all on or all off. “Now the different pre-set lighting configurations can be summoned at a touch of a button, and dimmed or brightened as we need them.”
SceneSelect has the edge over other scene-setting and dimming systems on the market for two reasons, says Ex-Or. Firstly it can be simply added into the existing lighting circuits - no extra wiring to the switch plates is necessary. And secondly, the SceneSelect module, which offers eight pre-set lighting scenes, is available with a wide range of decorative cover plates.
A further advantage of the SceneSelect system at St Peter’s School is that it has been designed to interface seamlessly with Ex-Or’s LightSpot presence detection system. This monitors occupancy in the theatre, and when it detects that the theatre is empty it switches off the lights to save energy and cut lighting costs. It automatically switches lights back on to a previously-configured level when it detects someone has entered the theatre.
The integration of LightSpot detectors ensures that when teachers, pupils or cleaners leave the theatre, the lights are not left on needlessly. |
|
|
Ex-Or
Limited, Haydock Lane, Haydock, Merseyside, WA11 9UJ
Tel : +44 (0) 1942 719229 | Fax +44 (0) 1942 272767
|
|
|
|
