Lighting System UpGrade
A lighting system upgrade was required by Argosy Properties who were undertaking a renovation of one of their tenanted buildings. The need was for a retrofit solution that would provide minimal inconvenience for the tenant.
The areas to be retrofitted included the kitchen, offices, workshop and storage area. The upgrade to the lighting system also incorporated external lighting.
IEL were contracted by Grammar Electrical to design and commission the lighting control system for the upgraded areas of the building.
A zencontrol DALI-2 system was installed. Sensors and switches were installed and programmed to allow control of the various internal areas that had been refurbished, and a lux level sensor now controls the external lighting for the building.
The ability to program and make changes to the lighting control system remotely ensured the tenant was inconvenienced as little as possible.
When a lighting system upgrade is required, technology has likely moved on since the system was initially installed. In many cases replacement hardware is not long available, or the type of system is no longer supported.
Prior to DALI becoming the leading control system (DALI was adopted as the AU/NZ lighting control standard in 2020), most systems were proprietary. This meant units were not interchangeable. A building owner was “handcuffed” to the manufacturer for the life of the system.
When support from the manufacturer is withdrawn, finding replacement hardware, and engineers with knowledge of older, superseded systems is challenging.
This is why, if a system requires updating or replacing, our recommendation is always to install a DALI-2 system.
DALI is an open protocol, and if one manufacturer is unable to replace a component, another will do so. No more “handcuffs” to a single supplier!
