Control of a Hybrid Illumination System in a Tropical Zone

Abstract

This paper presents a control system approach for hybrid illumination of administrative offices (225m2) at an university building located at a tropical zone. The main goal was to minimize the energy consumption of artificial lightings (fluorescent), by taking advantage of the high natural lighting level during a workday (8 a.m. and 6 p.m.). The control system devices used for each office are: presence sensor, dimming photocell and dimming ballasts, all them connected to the Andover Infinet Controller. By means of data analysis and daylight curves, energy consumption and financial savings are determined. Subsequently, the average energy consumption per square meter due to the hybrid lighting in the offices (8.5 kWh/m2/year) and typical illumination of the central campus (27 kWh/m2/year) were compared. It was demonstrated that a reduction of energy consumption of about 70%, 50% by daylighting and 20% by automation was obtained.