Lighting Controls for Intelligent Buildings

SIDEBAR 1: Standards Development

In July, 2012, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Arlington, Va., announced that its TR-42.1 Subcommittee on Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling will revise TIA-862-A Building Automation System (BAS) Cabling Standard, which was first published in April 2011. This revision will be titled “Intelligent Building Systems Cabling Standard,” and the aim is to promote the total operating efficiencies of buildings and to enhance STEP rating certification. STEP refers to the Sustainable Technology Environments Program, a rating system and guide managed by the STEP foundation, a non-profit organization made up of technical trade association representatives, their members, and supporters. The purpose is to have sustainability rating systems, such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, recognize the value of these technologies in reducing energy use in buildings. 

Most likely, the new document will become the 862-B standard. The integration of multiple systems (lighting, HVAC, access control, etc.) into a single IP network simplifies monitoring and control. Thus, a structural cabling installation allows information from one system to be shared and acted upon by other systems.

In August, 2012, an honorary and friendship agreement was signed between the TIA and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) “to exchange information and promote harmonious standards development in the areas of intelligent building systems, energy efficiency and sustainable initiatives.” TIA President Grant Seiffert noted that, “Convergence is here, today, and is extending well beyond the traditional phone and data services into others, like illumination.” William Hanley, executive vice president of  IES, added, “The illumination industry has realized that the key to maximizing energy-efficiency lies in the use of technologies that are integrated and work intelligently to control the function and operating time of building lighting systems.”