System positions company in good stead in South Africa

9th June 2017 By: Tasneem Bulbulia - Senior Contributing Editor Online

System positions company in good  stead in South Africa

SEEING THE LIGHT Legrand’s sensors improve the energy efficiency of buildings by automatically reducing the amount of time if lighting is left on unnecessarily

Global electrical and digital building infrastructure specialist Legrand is using its lighting and motion management systems to position itself in the South African energy efficiency market.

“We have seen a positive response from the South African market to these systems, with a pleasing turnover. This represents a good business starting point, with important growth opportunities for the future,” says Legrand South Africa.

The company further indicates that this presents an additional and important business opportunity for the company.

The development of these systems is part of Legrand’s ethos of continuous development, which is based on two main axes – research and development, and new acquisitions (bar energy-saving controls provider CP Electronics, which was acquired in 2015).

Legrand’s lighting and motion management systems encompass a range of sensors designed to make buildings more energy efficient by automatically reducing the amount of time lighting is left on unnecessarily.

“Reduced lighting consumption not only lowers operating costs but also reduces lamp replacement and maintenance requirements, and helps decrease greenhouse-gas emissions,” says Legrand South Africa.

The company capitalised on the presence of product specialists in the market to drive the business development of this system and price orientation, especially for standalone products, enabled it to provide this solution for the market.

Motion and lighting management sensors can operate on two different modes. The occupancy mode allows for lights to be automatically switched on or off according to occupancy, and the vacancy mode is used for additional energy saving, where lights are manually switched on and automatically switched off.

These sensors can use passive infrared technology (PIR), ultrasonic or dual technologies to operate.

Lighting management sensors are suitable for areas of a building with or without natural light and includes passages, corridors, hallways, staircases and rest rooms, as well as offices, storage rooms and warehouses.

These sensors are also available with advanced features for installation outdoors and in humid areas of domestic, commercial and industrial buildings. Legrand’s lighting management solutions for outdoor and humid areas also include sensors for managing multiple circuits.

The company’s lighting management systems have been designed and manufactured to avoid energy waste, with the building using only the required amount of energy when needed.

To educate companies about the benefits of these systems and spur an uptake, Legrand South Africa points out that the company hosts training programmes and education seminars, with the former comprising both a direct and an online platform. They enable distributors, installers and do-it-yourself enthusiasts to learn about new products, as well as the safest and efficient way to install them.

Sensor Specifications

Legrand’s lighting management sensors for controlling one circuit in outdoor and damp areas have an Ingress Protection 55 index protection rating to guard against the ingress of dust and water, with automatic switch-on and switch-off occupancy mode settings when there is sufficient natural light in the area.

Lighting sensors for controlling one circuit in outdoor and damp areas without natural light have automatic-on and automatic-off control. The light-level threshold, from 5 lux to 1 275 lux, can be adjusted manually, with a time delay of between 5 seconds and 59 minutes for the threshold. Time delays are indicated through a potentiometer.

Further, the PIR wall- or ceiling-mounted multilens sensors have a 270 infrared detection, with an 18 m range and a 0.7 W standby consumption. The recommended fixing height is 2.5 m and these units can also be mounted in a corner using an accessory.

PIR direct wall- or ceiling-mounted mounting motion sensors, with a recommended 2.5 m fixing height, have 360 infrared detection and an 8 m range. These sensors have adjustable light-level thresholds from 10 lux to 1 275 lux and an adjustable time delay of between 10 seconds and 10 minutes. Standby consumption is 0.75 W.

PIR sensors for wall or ceiling mounting with a directional head have a 360 infrared detection and standby consumption of 0.9 W. The light-level threshold is adjustable from 1 lux to 1 000 lux and the time delay is from between 12 seconds and 16 minutes. The minimum fixing height is 1.7 m and the optimum distance between sensors is 6 m.

PIR technology direct wall- or ceiling- mounted 180 sensors have a front-range detection of 6 m × 15 m, 20 mA of standby consumption and they are connected to the controller through a cord or RJ 45 cable.