Office Automation

In open-plan offices it is common for all the lights to hang off a single switch, so the whole floor lights up when one person arrives early. Splitting the lighting into zones with an occupancy sensor in each one changes that. The zone where someone sits down lights up, and empty zones stay off.

At desks near the windows, a daylight sensor also helps. When enough daylight comes in, the fittings dim on their own and brighten again as the light fades in the late afternoon. For this the fittings need to be dimmable, ideally with a digital control protocol such as DALI.

At the end of the working day, the system puts the office into closing mode. Lights go off, air conditioning shuts down, and plug-in equipment such as monitors and the coffee machine is disconnected. Circuits that need to stay on, such as servers, fridges and security equipment, are kept separate. Anyone working late can keep their own zone on for a while longer with a button on the panel.

Energy meters in the distribution board show how much each floor or circuit uses, which is a good starting point for working out where the bill comes from. Since climate control accounts for a large part of consumption in most offices, it makes sense to look at this together with smart climate control.

In a rented office there are limits on what you can do to walls and ceilings. Wireless sensors, smart plugs and modules fitted behind existing switches are a sensible way to start. If you are designing a new office floor, bringing lighting, climate, blinds and access control onto a single platform such as KNX makes life easier later: when the team grows or the layout changes, you change the settings instead of pulling new cables.

If you would like to talk about what makes sense for your office, get in touch. We will listen to how you use the space during and after working hours and start where most of the energy goes.