More Light, Lower Costs

When voestalpine, an Austrian technology and capital goods corporation, updated the lighting system at a central warehouse in Linz, Austria, the firm seamlessly switched to DALI-capable LED lights combined with proven WAGO Lighting Management. It was a great success: Based on the cost savings and the positive feedback from the workforce, they are already considering additional applications for WAGO’s solution.

In the past year, the company went a step further and turned to a pre-programmed Web solution for their lights: WAGO Lighting Management. In the course of replacing the lighting in a central warehouse for steel rolls – each weighing several tons – the company chose to use automated lighting control in combination with the LED technology. Since then, the building in Linz, with an area of 5,400 m², has been illuminated by around 60 DALI-capable LED lighting units controlled by WAGO Lighting Management.

The challenges in this lighting management system are relatively straightforward in this initial project: It requires common, constant light control of all LED DALI lights with the aid of a brightness sensor in order to guarantee constant light levels at minimal energy consumption for all work shifts. The artificial light should automatically adapt to the natural light to optimally illuminate the building during every working hour, day or night. In addition, the individual operating modes, like “off,” “manual” and “automatic,” can be selected using a key-operated switch.

Lighting Management at voestalpine

• Automated lighting control in combination with LED technology

• 60 DALI-capable LED lighting units controlled by the WAGO Lighting Management

• Constant light regulation of all LED DALI lighting units with the aid of a brightness sensor

• Constant illuminance with minimal energy consumption

• The hall is optimally illuminated at all times, day or night, during the work week

“After only a few months, it was clear that adapting the electric light to the daylight and using LED lights significant reduced the energy costs – even though the warehouse lighting level was actually increased,” reports Michael Haudum, who managed the project for voestalpine. In addition, maintenance on the new system is much easier. Haudum adds: “We can now change parameter settings in-house at any time without any additional programming effort or recourse to outside companies.” The WAGO Lighting Management system enables the voestalpine maintenance department to monitor all parameters using a modern, standardized Web visualization, and to adjust them at any time as needed. New parameters can be set quickly and easily with the click of a mouse – even during operation. The graphical user interface can be accessed by any standard browser in the internal voestalpine network. The system is based on the popular web language HTML5, so local software installation on a PC is unnecessary.

“Based on the successful implementation in our warehouse, we are planning to introduce the WAGO solution in other areas in the future,” says Haudum. This shows the high level of flexibility that can be achieved using WAGO Lighting Management. From a small facility with only one virtual room, up to multiple networked distributors with 160 virtual rooms, including links to the building technology, everything can be centrally controlled and automated according to custom specifications. Haudum is also considering expanding the application with new control functions in some places – for example, colored lighting control for control stations. “Basically, we see the simple, centralized controller, the standardized Web interface and the energy cost savings as the essential advantages of the WAGO Lighting Management,” says Haudum.

WAGO Lighting Management – the Benefits for You:

• Easy usage and document creation

• Innovative operating concept using standard Web browser

• Well-organized input screen

Text: Martin Morpurgo and Michael Gerner | WAGO
Photo: Voestalpine