Schneider Electric announced that its Square D® Clipsal® line of lighting control products is being incorporated into a major energy retrofit project at Fay Herron Elementary School in North Las Vegas, Nev. The school, part of the Clark County School District, is the subject of a project that includes HVAC replacement and installation of new insulated walls and dropped ceilings, in addition to lighting control. Eight of the 12 buildings on the Fay Herron Elementary School campus have been completed; the entire project should conclude in summer 2007.
“Energy conservation is extremely important for schools and school districts, and at Fay Herron Elementary School, Square D Clipsal keypads and occupancy sensors reduce the electrical load, while at the same time introduce more natural light,” said Scott Jordan, Square D Clipsal Product Marketing Manager. “This helps create the best learning conditions for students and increases convenience for teachers and administrators.”
Classrooms feature Square D Clipsal four-key Neo™ lighting control keypads that are used to open dampers that admit natural light through solar reflective tubing, and close them as well. One of the two top buttons on a Neo keypad turns off the lights in the room and closes the solar reflective tubing for one hour, creating optimal conditions for a video or overhead presentation. The opposite button executes normal operating conditions if the presentation ends early.
The state of Nevada requires 55 footcandles of light in a room, plus or minus 10 percent. As soon as someone enters a classroom, the solar reflective tubing automatically opens. If the natural light does not meet 55 footcandles, the lighting control system will bring up one of the two light banks, and possibly both. As the day wears on, the system turns off one bank of lights, and then the other, if necessary.
In addition to the Neo keypad, each room also includes an occupancy sensor above the main entrance, which activates when teachers or students enter; a multilight occupancy sensor, which activates the room’s light banks and the solar reflective tubing; and a voltage-free changeover relay that connects the solar reflective tubing and the multilight occupancy sensor.
Las Vegas-based Control Contractors, Inc., won the bid to complete the renovation project and chose the Square D Clipsal product line, which was subsequently approved by the school district. Two phases of the project remain — one involving the building that houses the Fay Herron Elementary School main office, and the other covering the library, multi-purpose building and cafeteria.
For more information about Schneider Electric, visit www.squaredlightingcontrol.com.
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