Il futuro è sempre più improntato all’efficienza energetica. Light + Building, la più grande fiera mondiale sull’illuminazione e gli smart building in corso a Francoforte dal 15 al 20 aprile, ha sposato quest’anno la tematica dell’efficienza.

2100 gli espositori, tra cui General Electric che ha presentato le ultime novità. HabiTEQ, GradiLux e il sistema UPS SG-CE sono le smart solution, illustrate nel dettaglio da Charles Elazar, Director Marketing of GE Energy’s Industrial Solutions business in Europe, Middle East e Africa.

Future is all about efficiency. GE smart solution presented at Light + Building in Frankfurt - Habitech, Gradilux, the UPS system SG-CE - are mainly focused on this aspect. Which are the innovations behind these technologies?

The new technologies include GE HabiTEQ battery-free wireless devices that harvest ambient energy and the innovative GE GradiLux system which reduces energy consumption and operating costs for street, public and industrial lighting installations. In many locations the need to operate public lighting at full power decreases considerably after midnight when vehicle and pedestrian traffic drops to minimal levels; however consumption levels are rarely adapted. Gradilux uses state-of-the art technology that dims the lights and stabilizes power supplies. GE’s HabiTEQ delivers enhanced energy efficiency through the control and automation of energy usage in domestic and commercial buildings. Wireless and battery free technology makes installation cheaper and simpler and also provides aesthetic and practical benefits such as the ability to fit devices such as sensors in historic buildings or ultra-thin switches on glass panels.

HabiTEQ is a flexible integrated system that runs a building’s functional subsystems, including lighting, heating, ventilation, blinds and security from a central control unit operated via a control panel or on-line. HabiTEQ can be programmed with a personal computer and can also operate automatically or in response to environmental stimulus; e.g. changing the heating in a room in response to changes in external temperature, time of day or human presence. This enables the sort of energy efficient interaction between the subsystems that is almost impossible with conventional technology.

What percentage of energy savings do you foresee for each of these innovations? And which is the contribution in terms of CO₂ reduction?

Environmental benefits will be different for ever circumstance, but as a general guide:
a) GE’s new GradiLux lighting control system reduces energy usage and costs. It also delivers the environmental benefits of reduced emissions without compromising public safety or comfort. The benefit will be different for every city, but customers will quickly see savings equivalent to the cost of installing GradiLux.
In a typical city public lighting systems operate for approximately 4,000 hours annually. This accounts for a significant part of the municipal electricity energy bill and with energy costs rising, is an increasing burden on local taxpayers. In some cities, street lights are now being turned off as municipalities struggle to contain costs.
b) Buildings are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of all CO₂ emissions in the European Union. Therefore increased energy efficiency is a priority issue for occupants, building managers and policy makers.

continua...