Wireless Sensor Technology Can Slash Energy Use from Lights in Offices

A San Francisco company has developed a wireless light-monitoring network that it says can cut the energy use of office buildings by roughly 40 percent. The technology, developed by Adura Technologies, can dim or switch off lights to coincide with changes in the hours of daylight and enables employees to remotely turn lights off and on. The system’s “smart grid” technology assigns an IP address to each light and electrical outlet, providing building owners with a detailed picture of how much energy is being used in a building and how that use can be cut. “I can give you your carbon footprint by cubicle or by room,” said Adura chief executive Jack Bolick. In a recent test by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, giving employees wireless control of the three lights closest to their workstation and allowing them to turn them on or off individually cut the electricity consumed by the building’s lights by up to 72 percent. U.S. businesses spend an estimated $33 billion a year on lighting.