Intelligent Power Today Magazine

News and Trends

Introducing Intelligent Power Today

Welcome to Intelligent Power Today Magazine, our publication that explores and explains the who, what, where, when, why and how of intelligent electrical devices, a collection of complex mechanical devices and sophisticated control systems used in industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities—also known as intelligent buildings.

According to the Institute for Building Efficiency, intelligent buildings use smart technologies to improve system functionality, control operating costs, and to keep building occupants safe, secure, comfortable, and, of...

Buyer's Guide

News & Trends

State of Industry

Illuminating Decisions: EPRI Lights the Way for Modern Lighting Adoption

Facility managers and operators understand the critical role lighting plays in their daily operations. Accounting for roughly 30% of a commercial building's energy load, lighting significantly impacts energy consumption and associated maintenance costs. However, focusing solely on the...

Featured

Advanced protection against electromagnetic exposures and electric arc

HAZARDS AROUND While working live in the energized grid, presence of voltage around the workers requires special attention. However, live-line (live working) techniques are widely applied for decades, several accidents in the past prove that the level of safety must be improved to minimize...

Counterfeiting Kills

Each year, the counterfeiting of well-known brands and products continues to rise, creating an even more threatening problem. Such well-known counterfeited brands, including consumer safety and critical electrical products, are estimated to be five to seven percent of world trade. The International...

Building Automation Training

Smart Lighting for Energy Efficiency

How to save energy and receive a quick payback

BY DAWN MORRISON, Graybar Canada

It seems like everything is increasing in price these days, especially when it comes to energy. Electricity often has a very large impact on the bottom line, particularly when it comes to industrial facilities and commercial businesses. In these cases, two of the key contributors of energy consumption are inefficient lighting and improperly controlled motor loads.

>>LIGHTING RETROFITS
Lighting Audit When a lighting audit is done, the company performing the audit provides a complete documentation of existing lamps and fixtures along with the calculations of current energy consumption. Based on those results, they will then provide a recommendation of replacement lamps and fixtures along with the corresponding calculations of energy consumption by the proposed lamps and fixtures. With the use of payback calculation software, a dollar value can be matched to the energy savings to figure...

Communications

Cutting the Cord: Exploring Wireless Communication Protocols for BAS

Building Automation Systems (BAS) play a crucial role in modern buildings, enabling centralized control and automation of various functions like lighting, HVAC, and security. Traditionally, BAS relied on wired networks for communication between building automation devices and the central control...

Energy

Overcoming Integration Hurdles in BAS for Energy Management

Potential and Integration Challenges for Energy Optimization Building Automation Systems (BAS) hold immense promise for optimizing energy consumption in buildings. By intelligently controlling various systems, they can significantly reduce energy waste and improve overall efficiency. However, to...

HVAC

Wireless Sensor Networks and the Impact on HVAC Monitoring

Traditional building automation systems have often relied on a relatively sparse network of wired sensors to monitor temperature, humidity, and perhaps a few other basic parameters. Wireless sensor networks are disrupting this model, enabling the deployment of far denser arrays of sensors,...