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Do I need special light fixtures? |
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No
— the Ecopower lighting control makes your existing light
fixtures dimmable. |
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What type of lighting can be dimmed? |
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Metal
halide, high pressure sodium, mercury vapor and low-pressure
sodium HID lighting all respond very well to dimming. |
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Do any changes have to be made to my light
fixtures? |
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No
— your lighting stays as it is. Nothing is added to or taken
away from the light fixtures. |
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I didn't know that type of lighting could
be dimmed. Is ballast or lamp life reduced? |
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No
— there is no measurable change in lamp life. Ballast life
is not shortened. In fact, reducing the voltage to a ballast
reduces the amount of heat created in the coil; theory would
suggest, then, that cooler running ballasts may even last
longer. |
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How does the Ecopower system dim the lighting? |
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The
system varies the voltage to the lighting panel. Dropping
the voltage safely dims the light fixtures. |
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Is my fixture warranty affected? |
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No
— light fixture warranty is not affected in any way. All major
ballast manufacturers have approved the varying of voltage
to ballasts for dimming. Lamp manufacturers warrant their
lamps to be dimmed so long as a prescribed warm-up period
is adhered to. The Ecopower system has circuitry built in
to ensure compliance with all manufacturers' specifications. |
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Where is the lighting control installed?
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Typically,
the lighting control is installed in the electrical room near
the lighting panel. Our two-part system includes a wall-mounted
control center and a floor-mounted voltage regulator. The
system is designed for installation in separate areas where
space is a consideration. The remote control is mounted in
a location suitable for easy access. |
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Are my fixtures’ UL/CSA certifications
affected? |
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No
— the Ecopower system does not change any of the wiring or
components of a light fixture. Some "retrofit" systems alter
the lighting fixture components, and thus may affect UL/CSA
certification. |
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How long does it take for the light level
to change? |
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Changes
in light levels from low to high happen instantaneously. Changes
from high to low are gradual, occurring over a period of two
to three minutes. |
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Where have these systems been installed?
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Ecopower
has installed systems from coast to coast in North America,
tailoring solutions for a broad range of facilities including
ice arenas, airplane hangars, parking garages and industrial
warehousing. |
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We've had a bad experience with hi/low
lighting; how is this different? |
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The
Ecopower system works very differently from hi/low lighting.
We control the voltage to all fixtures from the main lighting
panel; no circuitry is installed in the ceiling or at the
fixtures. In the unlikely event of a problem, a manual bypass
switch allows our unit to be completely removed from the electrical
circuit to return the lighting to its original configuration. |
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Why do I need more than the two levels
a hi/low system would provide? |
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Many
facilities find that the low level is too low for most activities,
and that the high level doesn’t offer any savings. The Ecopower
system allows user-settable light levels from 100% down to
30%. This greater flexibility creates a system that will actually
be used — not just left at the high level. The result is substantially
greater electrical savings.
Our changing energy-cost
environment has created the need for greater lighting flexibility
than hi/low systems can offer. Below is an explanation of
some typical strategies and how they would benefit from variable
dimming over hi/low:
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Lumen maintenance |
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All
lamps, HID in particular, have a higher light output
when new. A good lighting design will take this into
account, and be based on the future light level depreciation.
The implication of this is simply that new fixtures
shine more brightly than they need to — perhaps even
more brightly than is comfortable on the eyes.
Therein
exists an opportunity to 'harvest' this initial over-potential
— to save that extra 10 to 20% that is available when
the lamps are new. Variable dimming allows this surplus
to be harvested invisibly and steplessly. After a photocell
is installed in the area to be lit, the required light
level is set and maintained by the lighting control
for the life of the lamp. Hi/low systems just can’t
compete with this, since the only choice they offer
is either zero dimming (no savings) or maximum dimming
(not enough light for any activity). |
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Daylight harvesting |
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Energy
usage in most facilities is typically highest during
morning and midday. Fortunately, there is usually plenty
of ambient outside light at this time. Any facility
that utilizes HID lighting and has the benefit of daylight
(ie via skylights, windows, or large open doors) can
save energy through daylight harvesting. One or more
photocells can be placed in an area that is monitored
by a lighting control; these elements work in concert
to maintain a constant interior light level.
Through
daylight harvesting, a variable system provides invisible
lighting control with no dramatic changes in light levels
— just smooth transitions. This flexibility (having
enough light for the job, yet still saving money) is
beyond the scope of most hi/low systems, where 'enough
light' usually means 100% — and no savings. |
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Demand side
management |
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While
energy deregulation has yielded a greater choice of
sources from which to purchase electricity, it has also
presented the new challenge of rates that can change
daily or even hourly. As a result, managing the cost
of that electricity represents a new profit opportunity
for high consumption industry. By dimming the lights
when electrical rates peak (thus staying beneath the
higher demand-rate threshold), work can continue, boosting
productivity. This is almost always a better alternative
to shutting down, which is usually the only alternative
that hi-low systems provide, since the 'low' setting
usually fails to meet work requirements.
Fully variable
dimming allows this to be done to the precise degree
that is required. Furthermore, direct interfacing with
an Energy Management System can produce a myriad of
savings possibilities based on both work scheduling
and energy costs. Hi/low systems just aren’t robust
enough to meet the complex challenges of demand-side
management. |
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How much savings can the system produce?
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The amount of savings depends on usage
patterns. Typically, an area with a mix of occupied and unoccupied
scheduling can save from 25 to 38%. The strategies outlined
above can have a great effect on the total savings number. |
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Is the system electrically certified?
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Yes — certification is available for all
areas of North America. |
