PoE lighting is perfect fit for the data center space because it is engineered to operate over Ethernet cabling (category cabling) and devices such as a PoE switch. These are two things that are very common to the data center environment. They can create a more streamlined and analogous transition when designing lighting for a data center or retrofitting an existing data center that has legacy components. Additionally the low power consumption of the Luminetworx PoE Lighting systems allows the data center to be energy conscious.
PoE becomes a compelling solution when one considers that a single cable can power the lighting fixture. Because it is networked with a unique IP address, the fixture can also be managed via the lighting controls software to create unique lighting scenes and schedules allowing the data center to further reduce energy consumption.
The Benefits From Implementing PoE Lighting in the Data Center
What this provides is enhanced efficiency. The networked architecture of the PoE system allows for information to be processed and analyzed. Perhaps the most recognized benefit from this data is the ability to use sensors to turn off the lighting when the room is empty.
Additional PoE benefits include:
- The ability to alter lighting color to code cabinets and hardware
- Set organization policies on each fixture
- Increase employee productivity by minimizing impact on circadian rhythms
- Lighting pathways to emergency exits
This approach is often extended from the server room into other rooms that may not be regularly populated. Possible use cases include break rooms, bathrooms, training rooms, and storage areas.
Top Advantages of Upgrading your data center PoE LED Lights:
- Lower Installation and Operational Cost – With UPoE ports (60 watts) powering two 2×2 lights each, PoE costs the same and often less than traditional AC lighting in new construction and deep retrofit. A simple 2×4 system in a Class A office space with custom and tunable fixtures can be built for less than $17 per square foot, installed! With the rollout of high power PoE (90 watts), Capex will be consistently lower than AC, while providing dozens of feature-rich applications. Opex (operational expense) results are similar, but emergency maintained lights can be remotely tested every month/year, yielding significant savings. Additionally, since lighting accounts for 35% of your building’s electrical load, LEDs reduce this draw by 50-90%, as compared to a line-voltage system.
- LEDs Provide More Light per Watt – LED lights can provide more lumens per watt than both fluorescent and incandescent lights. LEDs can provide 160 lumens per watt versus 80 lumens per watt versus for fluorescent, and 20 and 14 lumens per watt for incandescent lights.
- Easy Modifications to Lighting Circuitry and Control – A PoE LED lighting systems works with nearly any LED light, including UL924 PoE emergency lighting options. Additionally, conventional line-voltage systems have to be hardwired to match the layout of the space. If the space is re-organized and new walls go up, most often the lighting has to be re-circuited and its controls modified, which require an electrician and, therefore, more time and cost. With a PoE system, changes in circuiting and control are made at the software level, thereby making changes fast, easy, and virtually cost free.
- Lighting Control is Software-Based – By combining power and control onto a single network connection, it is very simple to create comfortable, healthy and productive work environments. It makes every light an internet-of-things (IoT) IP-enabled appliance. In addition, wall switches, sensors and other low power accessories attach to any node. Also, the software is easy to use; devices are automatically discovered and configured through a drag-and-drop function.
- Real-Time Room-Level Monitoring and Reporting – Many sensors are available to support daylight harvesting, light level, motion, temperature, humidity, CO2 and other environmental conditions to ensure customers save as much energy as possible, while providing outstanding light quality. As such, room-level environmental condition monitoring and reporting is greatly simplified. Not only can lighting optionally be controlled by occupancy sensors, but room-level occupancy can be tracked and analyzed to determine space utilization statistics via the software.
- Real-Time Energy Monitoring and Reporting – Besides tracking and analyzing occupancy, it is also possible to track real-time energy usage on an LED-by-LED, room-by-room, and/or building-by-building basis. The outcome is a platform that enables building managers to customize the user experience without giving up the ability to conserve energy. Doing so enables businesses to future-proof their digital ceiling infrastructure to grow with new applications.
- Advanced Color Scene Control, Including Circadian Rhythm – Color tuning can be used to create visually stunning environments that can be programmed and scheduled with just a few button clicks. Furthermore, tuning color temperature and syncing with circadian rhythm will improve productivity, and health and wellness in the workplace. High quality lighting has been scientifically proven to improve alertness, thinking, concentration, mood, morale, and sleep. At the same time, quality lighting helps reduce absenteeism, errors, accidents, eye strain, fatigue, headaches, hyperactivity, cardiovascular events, and obesity!
- Leverage Existing IT System Management Tools and Personnel – A lot of time and money was spent optimizing the tools and processes used to manage the organization’s IT systems. The IT personnel and/or the outsourced managed services provider are typically adept at monitoring, responding, and fixing problems as they arise. All these tools, processes, personnel, and experience can now be leveraged to manage the lighting, as well as all the IoT devices connected to it.
PoE and LED: Better Together
While LED provides many benefits on its own, efficiency and cost savings are maximized when LED is controlled through PoE. Managing your power and lighting through a single cable for smart lighting that has never been simpler.
To find out more about the Luminetworx PoE Lighting Solution contact us now.