VisErgyControl - Integral daylight and artificial lighting control for high visual and melanopic comfort with high primary energy efficiency

Project manager overall project: Rainer Pfluger

Project staff: Martin Hauer, Daniel Plörer, Matthias Werner, Gerhard Aigner, Norbert Hauer, Kazi Alam (Master student)

Project partners:

Bartenbach GmbH

HELLA Automation GmbH

Funding organisation: FFG

Duration: 01/05/2014 - 30/04/2017

In VisErgyControl, an integral simulation-based daylight and artificial lighting control system is being developed. In particular, it addresses the visual and melanopic needs of the users (biological effectiveness of daylight and artificial light) and at the same time aims to minimise the heating and cooling requirements of the building.

Initial situation

Austria's cities are continuing to grow. The city of the future will not only have to improve the energy efficiency of building envelopes in the course of sustainable refurbishment, but also increase its space efficiency. However, densification and addition of storeys also mean less daylight on the lower floors and consequently less daylight autonomy. A high proportion of artificial light and therefore - despite even more efficient light sources in the future - increased electricity consumption for lighting. The purely normative use of artificial light and the low level of daylight in the room cannot meet the psychophysiological lighting requirements.

This is where the VisErgyControl project comes in, with the aim of controlling shading and daylight-directing systems in combination with artificial light in such a way that visual comfort and the non-visual (melanopic) effect are optimised with minimum primary energy consumption for artificial light and air conditioning (heating and cooling).

Contents and methodological approach

The methodology in the VisErgyControl project is based on a control system instead of the control system still in use today. For this purpose, the optimum position for the blinds/daylight system and the dimming values for the artificial lighting groups are determined by simulation at the respective time of day - in the corresponding control time step - depending on the given outdoor climate (solar radiation, illuminance levels on the respective façades, temperature), taking into account the climatic situation in the building and the physiological influence of the lighting environment. Colour temperature detection in outdoor areas using low-cost calibrated RGB sensors is to be tested in the project.

Individual room sensors are thus only necessary, if at all, for error correction or success control. The methods and models researched in the previous projects K-Licht (P01) and lightSIMheat are to be further developed and tested in this project. The effort required for parameterisation, commissioning and maintenance is to be kept to a minimum by developing an easy-to-use tool.

The potential of the methods mentioned will be tested in several stages of the project. Firstly, the control methodology will be implemented in a mock-up (PASSYS cell at the UIBK) under real outdoor conditions, but still without users, then tested in real offices of a sample building (office space at HELLA) and verified by means of a metrological evaluation of the results obtained. The analyses of the measurement data from the BIGMODERN sub-project 9 (University of Innsbruck), which is controlled by room-related sensors, will be used for comparison.

Expected results

Establishment of an integral control strategy for daylight and artificial light

One of the main results of this project objective is the definition of the lighting control module for an optimal melanopic effect. In addition, a coupled simulation routine will be implemented to ensure visual and thermal comfort while minimising the use of primary energy for heating, cooling and artificial lighting.

Simplified commissioning, parameterisation and maintenance

Automated transfer of 3D geometry data as shading objects (neighbouring buildings, horizon line, trees, etc.) for parameterising the control system
Sensors for recording the necessary outdoor conditions (climatic and lighting parameters), which in future can be made available as a central service in the "smart city" information network for all buildings in the immediate vicinity.
Simplified tool for parameterising the rooms and the shading and daylight components.
Automatic fall-back scenario in the event of significant deviation of the actual values from the expected values with information for maintenance.
User-friendly user interface/interface
Development of the necessary planning expertise

Outdoor test stands (PASSYS test cells) on the UIBK campus: