Philips launches wireless smart office lighting

Philips Lighting has launched a new wireless connected lighting system aimed at the office lighting market.

The system, with lamps and luminaires equipped with sensors, is installed and operated by Philips Lighting as a managed service, dispensing with the need for customers to make upfront capital investments. The Philips InterAct Office system is said to reduce energy use by up to 70%, optimise operations and create a more comfortable environment without major office renovation. The network of sensors triggers the system to switch or dim the lights and gathers granular data, such as energy use and room occupancy. This information is displayed on a user-friendly dashboard.

The wireless Philips InterAct Office complements the company's existing Power over Ethernet (PoE) connected lighting system. The PoE system is aimed at new build facilities and offices undergoing deep renovation. In contrast, the wireless Philips InterAct Office is designed for retrofitting existing offices, which form the vast majority of office lighting projects worldwide.

"Our new system delivers instant energy savings and requires no upfront investment from customers who pay an easy monthly payment funded by the savings," said Emmanuel Sabonnadiere, CEO of Philips Lighting's Professional business.

"However, energy savings are just the tip of the iceberg. Our 'Light as a Service' model frees customers to focus on their business, while information from sensors in the luminaires gives them unique insights into the use of energy and office space to enhance operational efficiencies."

With Philips InterAct Office, real estate owners don't have to rip and replace existing cabling. The system uses wireless gateways that connect the lamps and luminaires. Information acquired by sensors in the luminaires (such as light level, occupancy and energy consumed) is encrypted, then processed and stored securely in the cloud and presented to customers in a simple intuitive dashboard. Being cloud based and modular, the system is highly scalable and can serve multiple locations worldwide.

The wireless Philips Interact Office system is available now in the US with other markets following later this year.