MH Controls Corner: Best Practices for Controls Integration

Today, many lighting manufacturers are coming out with new control systems as a part of their product offerings. Some of these are proprietary stand-alone systems for specific tasks, while others are integrated controls as manufactured by a dedicated controls manufacturer. This represents great advancement in lighting controls, as well as an understanding by the manufacturers of their importance. However, rarely is it possible to light an entire facility with fixtures produced by only one manufacturer. This leads to building designs that involve controls systems produced by multiple manufacturers. Sometimes these systems talk…and sometimes they don’t. There is also the bigger question of whether it is acceptable to have them not talk, or if additional integration is necessary.

There are many variables to consider when designing a lighting control system, such as energy codes, functional strategies, and what will be most intuitive for building occupants. To add complexity, we are seeing more and more projects with multiple controls manufacturers, or with controls that are fixture integrated. For some applications, different stand-alone systems that are not integrated are acceptable, but for others, this will sacrifice functionality desired by the facility operators.

School facilities can be used as an example: There are lighting control systems that are specifically designed for classrooms. These systems can meet code while providing color tuning and daylight harvesting with an intuitive user interface. A separate control system for the corridors and common areas in the school may be acceptable. However, the operational desires of some school districts will require integration between the multiple systems. They want the ability to know which rooms are occupied, and to be able to change light levels and monitor energy. There are many advantages to an integrated system, such as energy savings, security, and facility use tracking. If the school district has a program in place to take advantage of these capabilities, an integrated system is warranted.

How do design professionals and contractors make the decisions necessary to determine which systems are going to work best for each facility? The answer lies less in the specific functionalities of the systems, and more in what the owner or end user really needs. It is crucial to discuss the options with the owner in the design phase. Having a fully integrated system can add significant cost to the control system. It is critical that this cost is only added if the system will be used. Many engineering specifications call for BACNET integration, but in practice, this is rarely used. This small line of text in the specification can add thousands of dollars to the project cost for equipment that adds complexity and, ultimately, will not be used.

The best practice for controls selection is to define the needs of the owner, and translate this in the construction documents as a specific sequence of operations, then work with a controls experts to help determine what will be the best system for the application. Controls experts have their primary focus on lighting controls, and will have the knowledge of what has worked on previous projects, the requirements and jurisdictional interpretations of the latest codes, and full knowledge of the latest products. With this age of ever advancing technology, products are being released to market at a very rapid pace. A feature that a particular system may be lacking today may be available tomorrow.

Once the overall controls strategy and system(s) are selected, it is critical to continue to work with the same group of controls experts to ensure that the design intent is not sacrificed during the detailed design process. During the detailed design process, detailed shop drawings will be created, showing the integration between the systems of different manufacturers, with a complete bill of materials of all necessary components in the system. In order to ensure a successful project and avoid finger pointing, drawings showing all the interconnections between the different systems go a long way. Having one particular group responsible for all lighting and controls on a project will minimize the potential for coordination issues, and will limit the resolution responsibility to one organization, if they occur.

The lighting controls team at The MH Companies strives to ensure that every controls system that is ordered has been verified to meet the design intent, meet code, and to ultimately provide the functionality necessary for each individual project. We spend time on most projects coordinating with the design engineer to ensure that the system is acceptable in advance, in order to minimize the lengthy back and forth process that can occur and delay projects during the submittal process. We also provide fully integrated shop drawings backed by experienced local field technicians to ensure project success.

This article was written by Clint Conley, our Lighting Controls Department Manager. Clint can be reached at 720.904.8554 or clint@mhlighting.com.