Module 5 Lesson 2

Building Service Systems: Lighting and Electrical

Modern buildings are built to create better, consistent, and productive environments in which
to work and to live. Buildings must be designed with features to provide better lighting,
comfortable space temperature, humidity and air quality, convenient power and
communication capability, high-quality sanitation, and reliable systems for the protection of life
and property.

LIGHTING AND ELECTRICAL

1. Daylight Provisions

Required Measures

Window opening area of at least 10% of the room space floor area as per the National
Building Code. All regularly occupied spaces inside the building shall have a view of any
combination of the following features that can allow daylight into the room space.
 Rationale

Building should be planned and designed to maximize the use of natural light to reduce the
use of artificial illumination.

Daylighting is the admission of natural light from the sun, inside the building, thru
fenestration like skylights and windows. It reduces the need for electric lighting power
and therefore, saves energy. Daylight gives better color balance and aesthetic quality to
the interior of the building. Daylighting also improves indoor environmental quality.

Design Application

1. WINDOWS – meet or exceed the required window opening area of at least 10% of
the room space floor area as per National Building Code.
2. LIGHT SHELF, CLERESTORY, SKYLIGHT, LIGHT MONITOR/SCOOP,
OTHER DEVICES – use any or a combination of these daylight provisions to comply with
the requirement.

2. Daylight Controlled Lightning System

Required Measures

Lighting fixtures within the daylight zone shall be controlled with photoelectric sensors with
an auto on-off basis or continual dimming. The photoelectric sensor shall be located
approximately half (½) in the depth of the daylight zone.

If occupancy sensors are installed in the daylight zone, the occupancy sensor shall
override the photoelectric sensor during the non-occupancy period.

Rationale
Building interior perimeter zones exposed to daylight generally do not require
 artificial lighting during the day. However, sub-optimal design and operation of the building
result in the use of artificial lighting when not required.

Photoelectric sensors connected to luminaires help in dimming or switching off lamps that
do not need to be used due to the presence of adequate daylight.

Design Application

1. DAYLIGHT SENSOR OR PHOTOSENSOR IN LIGHTING SYSTEM – for use

with lighting control systems in day-lit zones.

Daylight zone and the use of photosensors

Daylighting control system

3. Lightning Power Density

Required Measures

All applicable building types shall comply with the lighting power density (LPD) limits in
the 2010 PSVARE Standards, as shown in Table 16 and 18.

Rationale
Limiting LPD will encourage the use of efficient lighting fixtures and reduce the lighting
and cooling load in buildings. The maximum allowed LPD for each space type is specified
in Tables 16 and 18. (The IIEE Manual on the Practice of Efficient Lighting System can be a
reference for the design of building lighting systems.)

Lighting power density is defined as the total amount of lighting power, in watts, provided to a
given floor area, in square feet or square meter.

Design Application

1. BUILDING LPD IS WITHIN MAXIMUM LPD REQUIREMENTS –determined

through the computation of total building lighting wattage divided by total
 building gross floor area. Use the computation table.

Tabulate each building space or floor with their calculated gross floor area and lighting
power wattage. Sum up the total GFA and lighting power wattage. Then compute for the
building designed LPD, comparing it with the GB Code required LPD, per building
occupancy. Building designed LPD should be equal or lower then the GB Code
requirement.

This shall be the same procedure for building exterior spaces such as at entrances,
building facade, covered and open parking spaces where there are specific GB Code LPD
requirements.

Energy-efficient lighting options are now widely available in the market.

Sample power and lighting Legend Box
 Architectural reflected ceiling plan with lighting layout

4. Occupancy Sensors

Required Measures

In order to limit the use of electricity in the unoccupied areas of buildings, occupancy
sensors linked to lighting (except for emergency and security lighting) shall be installed in
areas with variable occupancy such as corridors, private offices, storage rooms, common
toilets, meeting rooms, stairways, other similar areas.

For covered car parks: a minimum of 60% of the lighting must be controlled by the
occupancy sensors.

Rationale
Occupancy sensors are switching devices that respond to the presence and absence of
people in the sensor’s field of view and enable lights to switch on or off accordingly. The
system consists of a motion detector, an electronic control unit, and a controllable switch
(relay).

Design Application
1. OCCUPANCY SENSOR IN LIGHTING SYSTEM – for use with lighting control
systems in areas with variable occupancies. This is to be confirmed through the use
of the Occupancy Sensing System Confirmation, Table 19.

2. OCCUPANCY SENSOR IN COVERED PARKING LIGHTING SYSTEM – at

least 60% of the lighting must be controlled by the occupancy sensor.

Occupancy sensors make sure that electrical light is used in a room only when necessary.

Module 5 – Lesson 1 Building Services System | CE 104 – Building Systems Design

 Examples follow:

Single-level control layout in a small room

5. Elevators and Escalators/Moving Ramps and Walkways Required

Measures

Applicable buildings shall comply with the following:

Escalators/Moving Ramps/Walkways

Escalators/Moving Ramps/Walkways shall be fitted with automated controls to reduce

to a slower speed when no activity has been detected for a maximum period of one
and a half (1-1/2) minutes and duration may be adjusted depending on the demand.
The escalator/moving ramp/walkway shall automatically be put on standby mode when
no activity has been detected for a maximum period of 5 minutes and duration may be
adjusted depending on the demand.
These escalators/moving ramps/walkways shall be designed with energy- efficient soft
start technology. Activation of reduced speed, power off, and power on modes shall be
done through sensors installed in the top or bottom landing areas.

Elevators

Elevators shall be provided with controls to reduce energy demand. To meet this requirement,
the following features must be incorporated:

Use of Alternating Current (AC) Variable Voltage and Variable Frequency (VVVF) drives
on nonhydraulic elevators
Use of energy-efficient lighting and display lighting in the elevator car shall have an
Module 5 – Lesson 1 Building Services System | CE 104 – Building Systems Design
 average lamp efficacy, across all fittings in the car, of more than 55 lumens/watt
Lighting shall switch off after the elevator has been inactive for a maximum period of 5
minutes
The elevators shall operate in a stand-by condition during off-peak periods.

Rationale

Escalators/Moving Ramp/Walkway must be fitted with controls to automatically reduce speed

or stop when no traffic is detected. Elevators must be fitted with mechanisms that reduce
energy demand.

Lifts and elevators, moving ramps, and walkways are systems that give comfort to people
traveling in vertical mobility in the building.

Design Application

1. ESCALATORS, RAMPS, MOVING RAMPS, WALKWAYS WITH

AUTOMATIC CONTROLS – specified with sensing devices, control system, and soft start
technology that can regulate speed.
2. ELEVATORS – specified with:
Alternating Current Variable Voltage and Variable Frequency (VVVF) drives on
non-hydraulic elevators;
Efficient car and display lighting with average lamp efficacy of 55 lumens per
watt, such as a highly compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), light- emitting diode
(LED), and tubular T5 lamps;
 Automatic lighting switches off after 5 minutes of inactive use;
 Stand-by operations during off peak periods.

Module 5 – Lesson 1 Building Services System | CE 104 – Building Systems Design

6. Transformer

Required Measures

Transformers that are part of the building electrical system shall have efficiencies not lower
than 98% as prescribed in the DOE Guidelines on Energy Conserving Design of Buildings.

Rationale
Transformers are devices used in electrical circuits to change the voltage of electricity flowing
in the circuit. Transformers can be used either to increase the voltage (called “stepping up”) or
decrease the voltage (“step down”).

Design Application

TRANSFORMER EQUIPMENT SPECIFIED WITH NO LESS THAN 98% PERFORMANCE EFFICIENCY.

The following are different types of transformers.

Module 5 – Lesson 1 Building Services System | CE 104 – Building Systems Design

6. Overhead Water Storage

Required Measures

Applicable buildings shall include in the water distribution system the integration of
overhead or elevated water tanks that will facilitate the distribution of potable and/or non-
potable water into the building spaces, without compromising the required water volume
and pressure based on demand and the Plumbing Code of the Philippines.

Rationale
To reduce dependence on motorized systems to supply and distribute potable or non-
potable water within the building, and thus, help reduce energy consumption, overhead
water storage systems are used. The system relies mostly on elevation and gravity to
distribute water within the building.

Design Application
1. Provision of overhead water storage tank on top of building at least 10 stories high.

Module 5 – Lesson 1 Building Services System | CE 104 – Building Systems Design

Module 5 – Lesson 1 Building Services System | CE 104 – Building Systems Design