Case Study

Product Managers Office

Energy saving up to 70%

Main results
l 2 x 36W luminaires replaced with 4 x 14W luminaires

l Improved lighting level and uniformity

l 70% reduction in energy usage form January to June 2010

Thorlux office refurbishment

Thorlux is in the process of upgrading the lighting throughout its office

areas as part of a carbon reduction programme.

The Product Managers office was upgraded in November 2009. The

old high frequency 36W recessed luminaires were replaced with energy
efficient Thorlux XL-Five Smart luminaires each using four 14W T5 lamps
having a total load of 66.5W per luminaire.

The change of luminaires has resulted in a small reduction in load

with higher lighting levels and improved uniformity. Each luminaire
has an integral Smart sensor and are connected in groups using a
two-core Motionline.
The office is split into two zones due to occupancy patterns and it is not
unusual for either side of the office to be unoccupied for long periods
of time.
The area is used for a wide range of activities and the lighting can achieve
800 Lux for proof reading of literature but a general lighting level of 450 Lux
is maintained by the Smart system. Individual users have access to Smart
remote controls to temporally increase lighting levels when required.
This ensures that the system is run with maximum efficiency at all times.
Method of control/operation
Movement Sensing
Any detected movement will switch all the luminaires on. If no movement
is detected for a period of 10 minutes the luminaires will dim and switch off
until a further movement detection is made.
Daylight Dimming
Depending upon ambient daylight, each luminaire will brighten
or dim independently to maintain a pre-set light level. Should ambient
daylight exceed the programmed level for more than 10 minutes the
individual luminaires, due to the Thorlux bright out functionality,
will switch off until ambient light levels drop once more below the
pre-set level.

This provides an automatic control regime which is tailored to the

OLD NEW activities of the room occupants.

10 qty 2 x 36W 10 qty 4 x 14W

Luminaires Recessed XL-Five
Genuine energy savings from Smart luminaires
Luminaire Smart
The data displayed to the left demonstrates most effectively how Smart
Total maximum load 700W 665W
luminaires can provide significant energy savings.
kWh per annum 2,013 593

Annual electricity cost * 241.50 71.12 Programmability

Annual CO2 production 1,067kg 314kg Tremendous flexibility can be achieved by individually programming
luminaires to suit local conditions and the requirements of the users.
Reduction in CO2 753kg

No. of trees required

1.1 0.3 Manual override
per annum (carbon offsetting)
Smart luminaires can be manually controlled using either a wall switch
* Based on 12p per kWh or a hand-held transmitter.
 Case Study

Data logging

A data logger connected to a CT Clamp was used to monitor the current

drawn by the luminaires. Automatic readings were taken at 5 minute
intervals to give a precise record of the energy used through the day.

The data logger was left in place for 6 months, this shows an accurate
representation of the average energy savings that are achieved
over the year.

Energy saved graph

The graph below illustrates the typical energy saved during the
monitoring trial.

The red line shows the original lighting consumption, the other
lines show a monthly average consumption of the Smart luminaires.

Product Managers office - average 70% energy saving

Current (A)

Time

Site: Thorlux - Product Managers office

Installed: November 2009
Luminaires: 4 x 14W XL-Five Smart
Monitored: January-June 2010

Aug. 11