Because colleges often encompass multiple buildings and campuses, they have a diverse set of lighting control requirements. Recently, Lutron Vive solutions were installed at Madison Area Technical College to help save energy, improve lighting performance, and enhance the learning environment.
The Challenge
The college is in the midst of an ongoing lighting upgrade in several buildings to reduce energy costs, meet codes, and enhance the flexibility and versatility of the lighting system.
Standalone controls, installed in many campus spaces, have delivered reliable, efficient performance, but looking forward, the Vive wireless scalable control system is reducing installation times and increasing lighting options in basic classrooms, technology labs, lecture halls, private offices, a culinary building and conference spaces. Using Vive wireless also makes design quick and simple, accommodates changes easily and helps keep the lighting retrofit within budget.
Switching—In basic classrooms, and areas that are frequently unoccupied, lighting is switched using wireless occupancy sensors and Pico wireless switches.
Dimming—Other areas demand more sophisticated, high-performance dimming control. The Vive wireless solution includes dimming modules, wireless daylight sensors, occupancy sensors, and Pico remote dimmers to provide a full range of lighting control options to instructors and students in the space.
Integration—Beyond performance dimming, certain areas of campus are networked together using Vive wireless hubs. The hubs tie the lighting control system into other building management controls via BACnet, facilitating load shed and enabling HVAC systems to respond to wireless occupancy sensors, automatically reducing energy use without affecting the people in the space. Load shed is especially important to energy savings and cost reduction.
The Solution
The Lutron Vive wireless system handles all these situations with ease. The facilities team can also define exactly the right amount of control for each space and tailor the system to different light sources while ensuring that setup is the same across the board. Wireless installation helps to eliminate a tremendous amount of pipe and wire required by a wired system—another opportunity for cost savings.
The Vive system is simple to understand, easy to design, easy to change, and easy to manage remotely with the Vive software, creating an opportunity for the control system to have significant impact on electricity and maintenance costs. The Vive control software makes system changes quick and easy with no additional wiring required and no complex setup. All programming can be accomplished on any smart device with the Vive app.
Lutron service and support is also a key system benefit, providing an avenue for keeping software up to date.
On any project, the scalable, wireless control system allows customers to start with control in a single room and expand as their budget and renovation plans allow. As the college enhances its ability to improve operational efficiency, system data extracted from the software simplifies analytics and improves system flexibility.
Lutron controls have been installed at Madison Area Technical College for many years, but Vive opens opportunities for integration and more robust control strategies. On any project, the scalable, wireless control system allows customers to start with control in a single room and expand as budget and renovation plans allow. Even if you start with standalone control, it’s simple to add the Vive wireless hubs down the line.
Budget restrictions frequently drive a customer’s decision to install simple, standalone controls rather than an integrated lighting control system, but scalable solutions ensure you don’t have to choose. Controls can be installed and set up in standalone situations and they can be linked together via Vive wireless at any stage of the project.
Results
Using Vive wireless systems, Lutron customers can realize design and installation flexibility on their projects. Scalability is often critical to achieving operational goals, which include balancing budgets while still delivering high-quality, reliable lighting control that works for today’s energy and code requirements, and will work for tomorrow’s, too. Reducing energy use is good for the environment, the students and any project’s long-term success.