Occupancy Sensors in Electrical Equipment Rooms

[Saturn_Europa]

My plant has large electrical rooms that contain low voltage switch gears and MCCs. They are unoccupied 99.5% of the time, but the florescent lights are left on 100% of the time. In my opinion this is the perfect application for occupancy sensors. We plan on leaving one light fixture on at each door so no one has to walk into a dark room.

I didnt see anything in the NEC that prohibits occupancy sensors in electrical rooms. The only safety concern I see is the lights going off while someone is working on a live circuit for troubleshooting. Troubleshooting is the only time we do hot work.

Are there any OSHA/NEC codes that prohibits occupancy sensors in Electrical Equipment Rooms?

 

[gadfly56]

My plant has large electrical rooms that contain low voltage switch gears and MCCs. They are unoccupied 99.5% of the time, but the florescent lights are left on 100% of the time. In my opinion this is the perfect application for occupancy sensors. We plan on leaving one light fixture on at each door so no one has to walk into a dark room.

I didnt see anything in the NEC that prohibits occupancy sensors in electrical rooms. The only safety concern I see is the lights going off while someone is working on a live circuit for troubleshooting. Troubleshooting is the only time we do hot work.

Are there any OSHA/NEC codes that prohibits occupancy sensors in Electrical Equipment Rooms?

I assume you can have multiple sensors in a room so you can provide coverage in blind spots. Otherwise, I'd be a little hesitant, unless you can set them for 8 hours or something close.

 

[justin13me]

Dual technology occupancy sensors are supposed to stay on regardless of motion triggering them to. If I'm not mistaken..

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[gadfly56]

Dual technology occupancy sensors are supposed to stay on regardless of motion triggering them to. If I'm not mistaken..

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

You mean a simple on/off switch along with the motion sensor? If you leave it on, as typically happens for standard switches, then there wasn't much point in installing it, was there?

 

[justin13me]

No, occupancy sensors are PIR and /or ultrasonic and those that are both are called dual technology.

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[gadfly56]

No, occupancy sensors are PIR and /or ultrasonic and those that are both are called dual technology.

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If you're working in a corner with no line of sight to the sensor, which is usually mounted by the entrance, it's going to get dark sooner or later unless the "on" time can be set for long enough, say 2 hours, to guarantee you'll be going near it, if only for a bathroom break.

 

[GoldDigger]

If you're working in a corner with no line of sight to the sensor, which is usually mounted by the entrance, it's going to get dark sooner or later unless the "on" time can be set for long enough, say 2 hours, to guarantee you'll be going near it, if only for a bathroom break.

Bathroom stalls pretty much guarantee that you will often be out of the active range of the sensor!
A single occupancy bathroom is a much easier problem.

 

[chris kennedy]

There is something at the end of 110.26.
No book handy

 

[gadfly56]

Bathroom stalls pretty much guarantee that you will often be out of the active range of the sensor!
A single occupancy bathroom is a much easier problem.

I've had that tour, thanks. Let's just say I was particularly glad I have MiniMag on me at all times.

 

[chris kennedy]

There is something at the end of 110.26.
No book handy

It's 110.26(D).

 

[GoldDigger]

I've had that tour, thanks. Let's just say I was particularly glad I have MiniMag on me at all times.

I prefer an Olight S1 Baton. Smaller and brighter.

 

[Saturn_Europa]

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?

 

[Fulthrotl]

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?

the word *only* is the thing here. you have to have local control.

suggestion only:

wattstopper dm-100 occ sensor. set it for two hour timeout.
it has an on/off override for local control.

 

[kwired]

Bathroom stalls pretty much guarantee that you will often be out of the active range of the sensor!
A single occupancy bathroom is a much easier problem.

I've had that tour, thanks. Let's just say I was particularly glad I have MiniMag on me at all times.

M118 trip flare doesn't need batteries

 

[SparkyHC]

don't forget the daylight harvesting

don't forget the daylight harvesting

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...

 

[tkb]

Automatic lighting control is prohibited per 110.26(D).

 

[augie47]

Automatic lighting control is prohibited per 110.26(D).

not exactly.. see post #12 the word "only" changes things..

 

[Fulthrotl]

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...

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.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

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?

Why would you waste money on the sensors and a manual switch? If they are not shutting the manual switch off now, why would you expect them to shut off the switch that over rides the occupancy sensors?

 

[Saturn_Europa]

Why would you waste money on the sensors and a manual switch? If they are not shutting the manual switch off now, why would you expect them to shut off the switch that over rides the occupancy sensors?

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!