Adequate buildings lighting is a condition for a comfortable, productive, and healthy living in buildings. This is achieved by complementing natural lighting with electric lighting. In both cases we need to ensure adequate illuminance of observed and surrounding surfaces.

Effective natural lighting is achieved by the appropriate design of window openings. All spaces in the Cell are naturally lighted. Suitable illumination uniformity has been achieved by two skylights which improve natural lighting in sanitary and technological unit. Also residential unit has natural light from two sides. More in: >monitoring >reports

To prevent glaring and overheating of the cell an external shading system has been installed on the south-orientated window. The roll-up solar screen (transparency 0%) was provided by the company MEDLE. Shading is controlled via integrated electromotor connected to smart home system.

The efficiency of electrical lighting is affected by the choice of luminaries and illumination control method. Luminaries made from LED strips of arbitrary length were installed in the Cell. LED luminaries operate at 24V DC and have electric power of 14.4 W per meter of length. Electric power of lights in the Cell is 165 W or 6 W/m² of living space. Light colour is 6000 K (white), some lights have light colour of 3500 K (yellow light) and t herefore it will be possible to determine the effect of light colour on wellbeing of residents.

The Cells has two systems in parallel: low voltage 24 V DC and standard voltage 230 V AC. Both systems are connected to the photovoltaic system through dividers with safety fuses. Low voltage system supplies power to fans for ventilation devices, toilet ventilation fan, LED lighting, pump of the sanitary water supply system and some central monitoring system’s sensors. This system is not available to the user (no 24 V sockets). In to the standard voltage system specially marked sockets are connected through which all devices are connected: circulation pump and control unit of solar thermal system, refrigerator, microwave and building management system controller. The free sockets in technological and residential unit can be used for connection of resident’s appliances.

The term of smart building installations is broadly associated with central management systems that monitor, manage and optimize the conditions in buildings with the help of mechanical, electrical, transport and safety installations. These are systems that are grouped based on information exchange between the state sensors and actuators that control each device In a narrower sense smart electrical installations are systems in which electric wires transmit also information required to regulate the operation of devices. It is therefore essential that each device has its own ”electronic address” by which the computer unit can recognize it. Therefore conventional devices cannot be connected in such a system In the Cell we are using a different type of smart installations. In these information between sensors, actuators and encoders is transmitted wirelessly using radio waves. The system is known under the name of EnOcean and combines a number of industrial manufacturers. Special feature of EnOcean system is that the sensors have their own electricity source that is required for signal transmission, thus their connection with electrical wires are not necessary! Source can be solar cell, Peltier element or a device that transforms mechanical work at the time when switch is pressed into electricity. Elements of EnOcean technology are used in the Cell to turn on the lights in the residential unit, kitchen and sanitary unit. We use items ELTAKO supplied and installed by the company ELSYST. Switches are free-standing and encoders for turning on individual light have a microprocessor that allows auto-off settings for luminaries according to preset time interval.

How else could we benefit from EnOcean system? A: In the Cell BMS records the data obtained from installed sensors. Sensors in the Cell use power supplies that are very different: 12 V DC, 24 V DC and AC, ± 12 V DC. This could be avoided by the installation of EnOcean sensors.

The concept of smart home enables a control of building’s services via central control systems. In addition to the manual control of the installed systems via graphical user interface, it enables automatic control of a building in the absence of users. The Cell is equipped with such a system, which was supplied and installed by the company ENTIA. Using ENTIAliving app on your smart phone, tablet, PC or installed intelligent controller the lighting system and the shading in the Cell can be adjusted on the request of a user or predetermined by schedule.