Lighting & Daylighting

Definition
Modular lighting consists of easily relocatable, ceiling-installed, fluorescent luminaires, fitted with an electrical power supply receptacle. The luminaires are connected to modular manufactured wiring, which is available in a variety of terminal plugs and cable lengths and is UL and CSA approved. Some luminaires used in modular lighting are mounted on acoustic partition walls and are connected to the local power supply grid by a standard power cord.

Building Use highrise office lowrise office highrise apartment lowrise apartment pre-fabricated housing retail institutional industrial high-tech sector construction arena

Building Type new retrofit Development Status mature technology

Description
The combination of modular luminaires and modular manufactured wiring systems is proving to be a very flexible, energy-efficient and economical approach to lighting a large variety of interior spaces. The flexible nature of the system easily accommodates all common lighting controls available on the market (such as occupancy sensors and daylighting sensors), with building automation systems, and thus substantially increasing the overall energy savings. 

Some suppliers offer control boxes which can include part, or all of the components necessary for the operation and control of the lighting (i.e. ballasts, control relays, low voltage transformers and associated power supply, data link and control wiring). A variety of kits are also supplied to permit existing standard hard-wiring systems to be easily and economically converted to modular-type manufactured wiring systems.

Furniture-based electrified partitions generally come equipped with power supply, light control, and data/voice communication manufactured modular wiring systems; this situation permits the easy wiring and control of both power and light services at the workstation.

Modular lighting, powered by modular wiring systems, offers the right amount of light, placed only at the needed location, with sufficient built-in flexibility to make it easily and economically adaptable to diverse clients with diverse needs and impervious to rapid technological obsolescence. An added environmental benefit is the substantive elimination of wiring disposal during renovations and fit-up operations.

Example Manufacturers
Electec Limited 
5977 Hazeldean Rd. 
Ottawa ON
Canada K2S 1B9 
tel 1  866 233-5328 
fax 1 866 933-1933 
http://www.electeclimited.com/  

Lithonia Lighting
P.O. Box A
Conyers GA
USA  30012
tel 1 770 922 9000
fax 1 770 483 2635
http://www.lithonia.com/

Cooper Lighting
http://www.cooperlighting.com/

Thomas Lighting
1015 South Green Street
Tupelo MS
USA  38802
tel 1 601 842 7212
http://www.thomaslighting.com/

AFC Cable Systems
100 Riverside Avenue
New Bedford MA
USA  02746
tel 1 508 993 1781
fax 1 509 992 4642
http://www.afcweb.com/

Contributing Expert
Ivaldo (Ivan) Pasini, M. Eng., P. Eng., FIES
Real Property Services - Architectural & Engineering Services, Technology Directorate,
Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)
11 Laurier Street
Hull PQ 
Canada  K1A 0S3,
tel 1 819 956 3410
fax 1 819 956 3400
ivan.pasini@pwgsc.gc.ca

Benefits reduces cost of installation reduces time required for installation reduces cost of wiring by about 10% reduces errors in installation allows for wiring re-use reduces cost of retrofits reduces number of luminaires required

Limitations not advantageous in situations where office layout is unchanging not recommended for wet locations not feasible in some situations because of no physical access

Application
The technical specifications requirements for manufactured wiring systems are contained in the National Master Specifications, Section 16126 'Modular Wiring System', Section 16127 'Smart-Light Control System', and Section 16505 'Lighting Equipment'.

It is important to identify at the design stage the types of terminal devices to which manufactured wiring systems are to be connected, since it is possible to combine a variety of switches, outlets, telephone jacks, A/V and data outlets in one neat assembly. This type of design reduces initial installation costs and provides an integrated look to the installation.

Product selection is determined by the requirement of the flexibility, choice of components and their interface, economics, and warranty protection. Some important requirements include:

number of isolated neutral wires per circuit make and break capabilities under load, floor, wall, ceiling installation types and access mode interface with building controls

The most important issue for the proper operation of modular lighting and wiring systems is maintaining their optimum location with respect to the user. This requires the occasional relocation of luminaires and their wiring. The associated costs are easily offset by the much more significant savings on the original costs and cost of future site fit-ups. 

Experience
Modular lighting systems and manufactured modular wiring systems have been on the market for at least a decade, but only in the last few years has the industry produced several innovative products capable of integrating many building functions (i.e. lighting, HVAC, security, data/voice communications, etc.)

The Government of Canada adopted this technology on a relatively limited scale during the 1980's and has increased its use over the last few years. The private sector has been more proactive as it has married modular wiring systems to several types of lighting systems, from office to institutions, retail, and industrial applications.

Cost
Independent cost estimators and market experience has identified initial construction cost savings in the 10% to 15% range for modular wiring systems versus hard-wiring systems. Savings on change orders during construction, and on future system expansions, have been reported to often exceed 70% of those experienced by typical wiring methods. Modular luminaires generally carry a 50% cost premium and a payback of three to four years versus static luminaires.