Thank you everyone for the replies.
"The illumination for indoor service equipment, switchboards, panelboards, and motor control centers must not be controlled only by automatic means [110.26(D)]."
Looks like I can still go ahead with the project if I install a manual "on" switch.
Does anyone know where I can find good reference material on automatic lighting?
As an EC and a PE, I would never allow occupancy sensors in an electrical room, especially when I'm working in it...
The NEC does not require it and neither do the energy codes. Strangely enough if the electrical room has windows, ASHRAE requires
that you install daylight responsive controls...
Automatic lighting control is prohibited per 110.26(D).
Tim
Master Electrician
New England
Yesterday's Technology at Tomorrow's Prices
california's title 24:2016 i don't believe has an exception for electric rooms.
as for the daylight harvesting, the daylighting area has to have over 120
watts of downlighting in either the primary or the secondary daylighting
area to mandate harvesting on the left coast. i don't remember if ashrae
requires it no matter what the load is.
in my experience, if you put in an approved occupancy sensor in
the electric room, and set the timeout factor to two hours, you
aren't going to create a hazard. if using a dual technology occ
sensor (wattstopper dw-100 or equal) will detect your presence,
and if you aren't moving enough in two hours to trigger it and
reset the time, you are asleep, and the light should be turned off
to allow you to get your rest.
~New signature under construction.~
~~~~Please excuse the mess.~~~~
Don, Illinois
Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity. Dr. Rick Rigsby
(All code citations are 2017 unless otherwise noted)
Because my interpretation of the code is that there must be a "hold on" function of lightning in a room that houses Electrical equipment. We only have 8 operators , so getting everyone on board to leave the switch in "auto" shouldn't be to hard.
Turning off and on the lights = impossible
Leaving the switch alone = more likely
There's only one electrician, so in theory the only time the switch will be in "over ride" on is when I'm doing electrical work. Nobody else should have to touch it.
I'm going to try the occupancy sensors in one building to see how it goes for a couple of months before I roll it out plant wide. I'm calculating return on investment to be well under a year. Just emailed Legrand to get some install and diagram instructions. Looks fairly simple.
Just saw another technology that uses Cat-5 Ethernet cables and RJ-45 plugs in place of the low voltage wiring. That looks pretty slick!
Last edited by Saturn_Europa; 05-27-17 at 12:21 PM.
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