by Enerlites
Occupancy and Vacancy Sensors Lighting controls have traditionally been used to control the intensity of lighting within a space and allow the atmosphere of the room to be adjusted to the user’s desires. Over the last decade, occupancy sensors have been designed into control systems that control a wide variety of areas in residential, commercial and industrial buildings. These applications consist of individually B enclosed offices, large open work spaces, conference rooms, hallways, storage closets and more. Overall, occupancy sensors together with built-in photocell technology have been proven to reduce lighting related energy consumption up to 45 percent de- pending on application.
Currently, modern building designs are integrating electric light sources with natural light that penetrates the room through strategically placed windows. This enables the building owner to incorporate motion and photo controls to automatically adjust the electric lighting to a lower level and takes advantage of the natural light entering the space. The overall goal is to provide a comfortable and well-illuminated space for the user while reducing energy consumption and saving electricity.
Although occupancy sensors are most commonly used in commercial buildings, they are now being applied to residential homes in the form of a vacancy sensor. These types of sensors provide the manual ON function, but automatically turn the connected lighting OFF when the room becomes vacant. Residential applications that benefit from this type of control are generally bed- rooms, bathrooms, laundry rooms, closets, and garages where lighting is often left on after occupancy.
With multi-level wiring, installing occupancy/vacancy sensors in residential, commercial and industrial buildings can reduce lighting energy consumption significantly. Enerlites sensors are of the highest quality for energy management and conservation. Our occupancy/vacancy sensors are place in residential, commercial or industrial buildings and can reduce lighting energy consumption significantly.
The table below provides control ideas for several different room types and usage patterns.
| Space Type | Use Pattern | If… | Then… |
| Cafeteria or Lunch Room | Occasionally | Occupied occasionally | Consider ceiling mount occupancy sensor(s). Make sure minor motion will be detected in all desired locations. |
| Classroom | Usually occupied | Occupied by different students and teachers | Consider ceiling or wall mount occupancy sensor(s) and manual dimming. Make sure that minor motion will be detected. |
| Lights are left on after hours | Consider centralized controls and/or occupancy sensor(s). | ||
| Computer Room | Usually unoccupied | Lights are left on all the time | Consider occupancy sensor(s) with manual dimming. Be sure that minor motion will be detected and that equipment vibration will not falsely trigger the sensor. |
| Conference Room | Occasionally occupied | Small conference room | Consider an in-wall occupancy sensor. |
| Large conference room | Consider ceiling or wall mount occupancy sensor(s). Be sure that minor motion will be detected in all desired locations. | ||
| Hallway | Any | Occasionally or usually occupied | Consider occupancy sensor(s) with elongated throw. Be sure that coverage does not extend beyond the desired area. |
| Health Care- Examination Room | Occasionally occupied | Small area | Consider an in-wall occupancy sensor. |
| Laboratory | Usually occupied | Windows are present | Consider automatic daylight driven dimming in combination with occupancy sensor(s). |
| Laundry Room | Occasionally occupied | Requires high light levels, yet lights are usually left on | Consider occupancy sensor(s). |
| Libraries-Stack Area | Occasionally occupied | Aisles are usually unoccupied | Consider ceiling mount sensor(s). |
| Lobby / Hotel | Usually occupied but no one “owns” the space | Lights are left on all night long, even when no one is in the area for long periods | Consider occupancy sensor(s). Be sure that minor motion |
| Office, Open | Usually occupied | Lights are left on after hours | Consider centralized controls and/or occupancy sensor(s). |
| Office, Private | Primarily one person, coming and going | Windows are present | Consider manual dimming, automatic daylight driven dimming, or automatic on/off. |
| Occupants are likely to leave lights on and occupants would be in direct view of a wall box sensor | Consider an in-wall occupancy sensor. | ||
| Occupants are likely to leave lights on and partitions or objects could hide an occupant from the sensor | Consider a ceiling or wall mount occupancy sensor(s). | ||
| Restroom | Any | Has stalls | Consider a ceiling mount ultrasonic occupancy sensor for full coverage. |
| Usually occupied | Single toilet (no partitions) | Consider an in-wall occupancy sensor. | |
| Warehouse | Aisles are usually unoccupied | Lights in an aisle can be turned off when the aisle is unoccupied | Consider high bay fixture mount occupancy sensor(s) with elongated throw. Select a sensor that will not detect motion in neighbouring aisles, even when shelves are lightly loaded. |