Philips showcases latest connected lighting technologies at SPARC International Lighting event

Sydney, AUSTRALIA – Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), the global leader in lighting, will showcase this week the latest innovations in connected LED lighting systems, including Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) luminaires, app-based controls, and LED luminaires with integrated controls at the SPARC International Lighting event 2015 (May 27 – 29) in Sydney.

“We live increasingly connected lives and this trend is fundamentally transforming the way we use and interact with light,” says Rob Fletcher, General Manager of Philips Lighting Australia and New Zealand. “At Philips, we pioneered the way to energy efficient LED lighting and are now doing the same for connected lighting, delivering transformative implementations for cities, offices, warehouses, retail and the home. We’re driving value in lighting that goes beyond illumination and energy efficiency.”

SPARC will be the first Australian showcase for Philips’ latest connected lighting technology using a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) system. According to the event’s international guest speaker Onno Willemse, Business Leader Connected Lighting at Philips, PoE connected lighting will profoundly change the way we design, monitor, manage and engage with office buildings in the near future. 

“Our workplaces have fundamentally changed in recent years to people-centric buildings, with flexible, activity-based workspaces becoming the norm. Through these new technologies employees will have the capacity to personalise their workspaces. For building owners and facility managers, these scalable and adaptable Power-over-Ethernet systems offer new value that goes beyond energy efficiency and cost savings.  Advanced capabilities such as indoor positioning combine with the intelligent system to enable comfort, personalisation, and safety, increasing the total value of a building and making it more attractive to tenants.”

Connected lighting utilising standards[1] based PoE technology extends the role of a building’s lighting infrastructure to serve not only for illumination, but also as a pathway for information and data. Through the lighting system workers are able to access other building services via their smartphones, allowing them to enjoy greater visual comfort and productivity benefits.

The office lighting fixtures, when outfitted with sensors, are also able to capture anonymous data on room occupancy, temperature and humidity. They connect to the IT network and interface with other building systems such as heating, ventilation and IT services. This benefits the facility manager who has a single system showing real time and historical views of building utilisation. For example, he or she could see that on a Friday afternoon a particular floor is not used and can adjust the temperature, lighting and cleaning roster accordingly. Having an integrated view of a building’s occupancy patterns and energy usage can provide for more informed decision making with unprecedented levels of insight into energy and operational efficiency.

“The introduction of integrated connected luminaires has also heralded a new era in warehouse lighting, in particular, for those buildings still employing inefficient and inflexible conventional lighting,” Rob Fletcher added. “For warehouse owners and facility managers, systems such as those based on the Philips GreenUp Highbay provide an integrated solution that combines controller, sensor and luminaire in one - wireless capabilities and controllability without the complexities and installation demands associated with traditional controlled lighting systems.”

These connected luminaires enable ease of configuration of warehouse zones to match occupation and routing density for optimal space design and utilisation, and any rezoning can for example be done via remote control without the need for specialised devices or technicians, potentially reducing overall cost of ownership.

Onno Willemse, Business Leader Connected Lighting at Philips, will be presenting at SPARC International Lighting 2015, held at the Sydney Exhibition Centre (Glebe Island, Sydney) on Wednesday, May 27 from 4.00 – 4.45pm.