When I first heard the term "resilient lighting," I thought it was just a new lighting buzz word, or perhaps the name of a product. But, it is more than that; resilient lighting fosters the questions - how might we define resilient lighting and apply the ideas being developed to residential products and installations?
Resilient lighting is lighting that has a built-in capacity to continue to operate, or to recover quickly, from serious events, such as storms, explosions, earthquakes, floods or power failures. The term can apply to lighting for either the interior or exterior of a building, and there can be resilient lighting whether or not the building itself is resilient. The idea is usually discussed as part of an effort to design lighting for buildings that can not only be available for occupants during emergencies, but also continue to function after the emergency is over and before clean-up and normal conditions have returned. Resilient lighting is different from emergency lighting, which is usually designed to operate primarily in egress areas for a very limited time while people exit the building.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has led the thinking about resiliency and resilient buildings with what they call, "The Disaster Resilience Program." The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) has picked up the idea, set up programs, initiated standards activities and expanded the work. You can find a brief report at http://www.nibs.org/?page=irdp. Other interested organizations include the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, the American Institute of Architects, the International Code Council, ANSI, NFPA, HUD, the Construction Specification Institute and the National Association of Home Builders.
IES Task Force
The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and NEMA are the only lighting organizations, so far, looking at the subject from the lighting standpoint. An IES Task Force has been set up which, among other things, will review IES lighting recommendations so as to incorporate resiliency considerations in products, installation processes and lighting application designs. I am a member of the IES Task Force and will be working to represent the residential lighting point of view.
What technology features might be built into residential lighting products to make them resilient? I am thinking mainly of ideas that would apply to LED technology because of the current rapid rate of new product development, the high efficacy of LEDs, their sturdiness, and their good electrical match to alternative power sources. Here are a few ideas:
-High-capacity, long-life, rechargeable batteries built into fixtures or as part of a dedicated home power system to extend the emergency operation of lighting to days or weeks.
-Multiple light engines in LED fixtures designed so that standard functional or decorative fixtures could be lighted with, or easily switched to use, alternative power sources.
-Fixtures (especially portables) with USB ports so that low voltage power, as well as control signals, could either be drawn from or put into the fixture. USB plugs and sockets are now the most widely used global electrical/data interface with some 10 billion in use. This year, a new standard allows them to handle up to 100 watts of power - a substantial increase from the usual 5- or 10-watt limit. See the article at http://alturl.com/izneu.
-Waterproof internal connections and external splices together with water-resistant coatings and materials to make light sources and fixtures capable of withstanding water exposure or immersion with minimal damage.
-Stronger mounting and fastening hardware along with shock-resistant diffusers and shades.
Residential lighting products with some of these features already exist and are being sold and used for fountains, pools, outdoor living areas and landscape lighting.
The ALA Engineering Committee has been following the work of the Emerge Alliance, which is promoting the development of low voltage DC wiring networks in buildings to better match the inherent low voltage characteristics of LED lighting products. Currently, the Alliance is concerned with commercial buildings, but is discussing an expansion of the work into residential buildings. Find more information about the Alliance here: http://emergealliance.org/.
Your Input
What do you think? Do you have ideas or concerns I should pass along to the IES Resilience Task Force regarding lighting recommendations, standards, installation practices or product performance? Your input is welcome.
