RFID based Efficient Lighting Control

The Kyoto Protocol and the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive put an onus on governments<br/>and organisations to lower carbon footprint in order to contribute towards reducing global warming. A key<br/>parameter to be considered in buildings towards energy and cost savings is its indoor lighting that has a major<br/>impact on overall energy usage and Carbon Dioxide emissions. Lighting control in buildings using Passive<br/>Infrared sensors is a reliable and well established approach; however, the use of only Passive Infrared does not<br/>offer much savings towards reducing carbon, energy, and cost. Accurate occupancy monitoring information can<br/>greatly affect a building’s lighting control strategy towards a greener usage. This paper presents an approach for<br/>data fusion of Passive Infrared sensors and passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based occupancy<br/>monitoring. The idea is to have efficient, need-based, and reliable control of lighting towards a green indoor<br/>environment, all while considering visual comfort of occupants. The proposed approach provides an estimated<br/>13% electrical energy savings in one open-plan office of a University building in one working day. Practical<br/>implementation of RFID gateways provide real-world occupancy profiling data to be fused with Passive<br/>Infrared sensing towards analysis and improvement of building lighting usage and control.