For several colleges and universities, the Lutron Vive wireless lighting control solution offers advantages for lighting retrofits. Because colleges often encompass multiple buildings and campuses, they have a diverse set of lighting control requirements. Lutron Vive solutions were installed at Madison 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.
Stand-alone controls, installed in many campus spaces, have delivered 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 simplifies design, accommodates changes with ease, 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 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 important to energy savings and cost reduction.
The Solution
The Lutron Vive wireless system handles these situations. The facilities team can also define 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 large amount of pipe and wire required by a wired system — another opportunity for cost savings.
The Vive system creates an opportunity for the control system to have an impact on electricity and maintenance costs. The Vive control software is another plus, making system changes quick, with no additional wiring required, and no complex set up. All programming can be accomplished on any smart device with the Vive app. Lutron service and support is also a system benefit, providing an avenue for keeping software up to date.
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 College for many years, but Vive opens opportunities for integration and more control strategies. On any project, the 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 stand-alone control, more Vive wireless hubs can be added down the line.
Budget restrictions frequently drive a customer’s decision to install stand-alone controls rather than an integrated lighting control system, but scalable solutions ensure you don’t have to choose — you can have the best of both worlds. Controls can be installed and setup in stand-alone 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 lighting control that works for energy and code requirements. Reducing energy use is good for the environment, the students, and the long-term success of a project.