Occupancy sensors: Promise and pitfalls
Occupancy sensors -- also called motion, or personnel, sensors -- react to variables like heat and/or sound by turning lights on or off. While they have the potential to reduce lighting energy consumption by 50 percent or more in some installations, their savings and applicability are very site specific. Sensor economics are sensitive to occupancy patterns and utility rate structures, particularly demand charges and time of use billing. Their performance and reliability are tied to a host of factors, including the shape and size of a room, the installer`s experience, and interactions with ballasts, lamps, and other building components. Failure to consider these issues can lead to lower-than-expected energy and dollar savings or equipment failure. Many utilities offer rebates for occupancy sensors, but few require that savings be documented or incorporate into their programs the kinds of design, specification, and measurement guidelines that can ensure successful installations and persistent savings. Utilities often set incentive levels based on expected savings averaged across many installations, but the user who may view the rebate as a utility endorsement of the technology bears the risk that any given installation may not perform as well as expected. Potential users need help from utilities in understanding how to minimize this risk.
- OSTI ID:
- 55515
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: DN: Publication No. TU-93-8; PBD: 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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A field demonstration of energy conservation using occupancy sensor lighting control in equipment rooms
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