SSH Docs
DA Pam
2015
P86
_55
Public Interest Energy Research Program
3 1822 03554 4873
Technical Brief
Integrated Classroom Lighting S
Light's Great, Less Billing
PER Buildings Program
The Problem
Typical classroom lighting is expensive to operate and does not
meet the functional needs of teachers or students. The modern
classroom requires a range of lighting scenarios, from full
lighting for traditional teaching to various levels of dimming
and light distribution for audiovisual (A/V) presentations and
other activities. Most existing systems don't have the flexibility
to provide high-quality lighting in this varying environment.
The Solution
The Integrated Classroom Lighting System (ICLS) features effi-
cient fixtures, high-efficiency fluorescent light sources, and
user-friendly controls. The system gives school facility designers
and specifiers away to cut energy use while providing light when
and where it is needed (Table 1). An innovative teacher control
center lets instructors adjust the lights from the front of the class-
room to meet changing activity needs (Figure 1). Finelite Inc. of
Union City, California, offers the system as a commercial product.
Features and Benefits
The ICLS combines innovative fixture design, user-friendly
controls, and plug-and-play wiring to achieve efficient, cost-
effective, high-quality classroom lighting.
Indirect and direct lighting. The ICLS sends light upward and
\_
Table 1: Integrated Classroom Lighting System specifications
The basic (CLSspecs are for a nominal classroom of 30 feet by 32 feet. Adjusting the
ballast factor for rooms of different sizes keeps the power density under 1 watt per
square foot. A typical system might feature two rows of lamps spaced 14 feet apart.
Element Feature º
Lamps Super T8 (3,500 K, 3,100 initial Im), 3/fixture
Ballasts Instant-start, BF0.88
Powerdensity W/?) 080-095 (0.35in AW model
30–50
Indirect/direct, 14-ft centers (2-row system)
controls Teacher control near teacher's desk; row
control near door
Occupancy control Factory set for 10-mindelay, uses ultrasonic
º Desktop light levels (fc)
Fixtures
and infrared
Dimming option For downlight to 5% of full output
Daylight control option Multiple options are available for daylight
harvesting.
Notes: A/W = audiovisual, BF = ballast factor,
f = square foot, fc = foot-candle;
ft = feet; K = kelvin, Im = |umens;
min = minute; W = watts.
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California. Teachers can easily change between general and audiovisual lighting levels
and also control a whiteboard light.
www.energy.ca.gov/pier
Figure 1: New lighting for Barrett Ranch School N
The ICLS provides high-quality illumination at the Barrett Ranch School in Antelope,
downward as needed, minimizing glare and creating an invit-
ing environment for work or study. It also offers an installation
cost advantage, requiring fewer power feeds and less mounting
hardware than traditional classroom lighting—only one power
connection is needed for a 24-foot row of fixtures.
Plug-and-play wiring. The ICLS wiring requirements simplify
the contractor's job. Running Class 2-rated, Category 5–style
wiring to the teacher control center, occupancy sensor, and
any daylight sensors is all that's needed.
Quiet-time switch. To ensure that the occupancy sensors do not
turn off the lights when, for example, students are quietly taking a
test or the teacher is grading papers at night, a “quiet-time” switch
allows teachers to bypass the occupancy sensor for 60 minutes.
Surfaces with high reflectivity. A new, 96 percent reflective
material developed specifically for ICLS fixtures contributes
to the system's high efficiency. Standard fixtures use 86
percent reflective white paint.
Flexible, easy-to-use controls. The teacher control center pro-
vides lots of options. For general lighting, the teacher selects the
“general” mode, in which two lamps uniformly illuminate the
walls and ceiling while fully lighting key areas such as the
teacher's face and students desks (Figure 2, next page). For A/V
presentations or when students are reading, the teacher can
switch to the “A/V" mode that uses a single lamp and focuses the
light downward, reducing wall and ceiling brightness. An inter-
lock ensures that all three lamps are never on at the same time.
In practice, teachers are using the control flexibility to help
direct students' attention and settle them down after recess.














UNIVERSITY
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Figure 2: Illumination options
The CLS uses two lamps to provide full classroom lighting and a single lamp to provide
more moderate light for classroom activities such as audiovisual presentations.
General Mode
A/V Mode
Single point of contact. The ICLS is available as an integrated
package from Finelite Inc., which is responsible for system
layout, pricing, training, commissioning, and warranty services.
Whiteboard version. A new version of the product provides
more light on the classroom whiteboard for improved con-
trast and readability. The design also reduces ambient light
requirements so that a ballast with a low ballast factor can
be used. Power densities are 0.8 watts per square foot in full
mode and 0.35 W/ft2 in A/V mode.
Cost-effective. The base system costs less to install than a
conventional system with parabolic troffers and is projected
to cut energy use by about 35 to 50 percent, offering an
immediate payback. Field installations in 19 California class-
rooms and recent monitoring in 28 classrooms in New York
(Figure 3) have confirmed these savings.
Figure 3: Controls b00st Savings N
The CLS produces savings in two ways: through a lower installed power density; and with
controls thatreduce power draw based on Occupancy, daylight, and activities in the room.
Energy savings of 38 percent were measured in New York Classrooms.
Power
density
1.5 --- allowed
Average power
density reduction
due to CLS lighting=
0.56W/f?per day
0.
5
|
0-
-
Sept. 2006 Oct. 2006
Average power
density reduction
due to ICLS lighting
and controls =
0.95W/?per day,
Nov 2005 Dec 2006
Notes. ASHRAE = American Society of Heating, Refrigerating,
and Air-Conditioning Engineers, f = square foot.
|CLS = integrated classroom lighting system; W = watt.
by ASHRAE
90.1 =
14W/f?
All lights on:
Maximum
power
density =
0.84W/f?
Actual
power
density.
Average =
0.45W/f?
L/
Applications
The ICLS is cost-effective in new school construction, build-
ing renovations, and retrofit projects. It has been proven
effective in standard classrooms, larger conference rooms, and
low-ceiling modular classrooms. Demonstrations funded by
the New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA) and the California Energy
Commission showed an average lighting power density of about
0.6 watts per square foot and very positive user acceptance.
California codes and standards
The ICLS can be used to meet the current Title 24 require-
ments, which call for lighting to draw no more than 1.2
watts per square foot. Two leading sustainability programs,
the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)
and LEED for Schools, have also used the ICLS specifica-
tions as a guideline for their school lighting criteria.
What's Next
A retrofit-specific version of the ICLS is currently in devel-
opment in a collaborative effort between Finelite Inc. and
the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC),
funded by the PIER program. The first field tests and
demonstrations are expected in 2008.
Collaborators -
The organizations involved in this project include Finelite
Inc., Watt Stopper, NYSERDA, and the California
Lighting Technology Center.
For More Information
For more information on this project, please contact the
California Energy Commission researcher listed below.
To view Technical Briefs on other topics, visit
www.esource.com/public/products/cec form.asp.
Contacts
Finelite Inc., Marc McMillan, marcm&finelite.com
510-441-1 100, www.finelite.com
California Lighting Technology Center, Wesley Morgan,
wrmorgan(?ucdavis.edu, 530-757-3444, www.clic.ucdavis.edu
California Energy Commission, Michael Seaman,
mseaman@energy.state.ca.us,
www.energy.ca.gov/pier/buildings
About PIER
This project was conducted by the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PER) Program.
PER Supports public interest energy research and development that helps improve the quality of life in California
by bringing environmentally safe, affordable, and reliable energy services and products to the marketplace.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor For more information see www.energy.ca.gov/pier
California Energy Commission
Chairman: Jackayne Pfannenstiel
Commissioners: Arthur H. Rosenfeld, James D. Boyd, Jeffrey Byron, Karen Douglas
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CEC-500-2008-033-FS
April 2008
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