Lighting Control System suits fluorescent applications.
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Press Release Summary:
Combining solid-state electronics with on-site, remote, and aggregate Web-based controls, Vari-Ballast Control (VBC) includes electronic ballast and microprocessors to regulate current flow. Lamp and fixture maintenance is achieved by using built-in scheduler, timer, relay, and dimmer. Measuring 6 x 6 x 4 in., Model VB400 features 90-300 V universal input voltages, 14-430 W variable output wattages, and controlled start-up and shut-down.
Original Press Release:
VBC Lighting Control Now Available for Fluorescent Applications
Universal ballast control package provides significant cost savings...
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., August 27, 2007 - IEPC Corp., a product development company specializing in lighting controls, now offers its more efficient and cost-effective lighting control system for fluorescent lighting applications to provide more brightness and greater cost savings to customers. The Vari-Ballast Control (VBC) lighting control from IEPC Corp. combines solid-state electronics with advanced on-site, remote and aggregate Web-based controls to provide customers with energy-efficient lighting control that reduces the number of ballasts and amount of re-wiring necessary to install a typical fluorescent system, while increasing the brightness and life of the lamps. In addition, the VBC is proven to save on energy costs long-term.
"We originally developed the VBC as a cost-saving, energy-efficient lighting control for HID lighting that was less expensive, both to install and in the long-term, than switching to T5/T8 replacements," said Ron Flores, president of IEPC. "We've now adapted the technology so that it works with fluorescent lighting and most other HIB ballasts."
VBC lighting control is a stand-alone energy management system in a box that reduces demand on power in real time. For example, a big box retail chain can monitor store locations in a given city, region, state or country-wide and lower its light energy consumption from a single laptop computer.
The VBC replaces magnetic ballasts, timers, relays, control panels, and the intensive wiring required to connect each lighting fixture to all other external parts as well as the control panel. It offers energy management and energy-saving features which conventional matched sets of HID ballast and lamps, newer electronic HID ballasts, and HO fluorescent ballasts cannot match.
With traditional ballasts, there is an inability to respond to on-demand lighting changes and to know when to re-lamp, which wastes energy. Also, lamps stay on to avoid start-up time and they draw more power but have reduced output. With the VBC, lamp and fixture maintenance is accomplished by using a built-in scheduler, timer, relay and dimmer. In addition, a built-in photo cell allows for automatic daylight harvesting. Instant demand response for the entire project is built-in and either automatic or manually controllable.
The VBC lighting control contains an advanced highly efficient electronic ballast for fluorescent lighting. It also features several microprocessors to regulate the current flow and optimize performance extending the life of the lamp. The VBC also features dimming and timing controls with thermal monitoring and on-board, real-time diagnostics that indicate replacement time for re-lamping, further extending lamp life.
Fluorescent lamps are traditionally expensive to install, require two or more relays for each fixture and additional equipment and wiring for features such as dimming, motion control and daylight harvesting. In addition, long-term energy costs are high due to inferior lighting quality and reduced lumen output, as well as excess stand-by energy consumption, which make fluorescent lamps increasingly less bright and more inefficient over time. They draw the same current input regardless of wattage output and create a high heat output that affects the optimum lumen output at lower temperatures. For many customers, fluorescent lighting is just not economical, but with the VBC, brightness and efficacy are optimized.
The VBC enables the use of T5 and T8 florescent ballasts, no matter which manufacturer, wattage, bulb type and input voltage. Typical lighting products require matched lamps and fixtures from a particular manufacturer with a fixed input voltage. IEPC's VBC is plug-and-play; after a VBC installation, customers can change voltage input, lamp wattage, lamp type and manufacturer without modifications.
The VB400 lighting control provides universal input voltages from 90V to 300V and variable output wattages from 14W to 430W. It also features a small footprint of 6x6x4 inches; compliance with TUV/UL and FCC standards; and controlled start-up and shut-down to extend lamp and ballast life. The VBC lighting control is designed for indoor and outdoor lighting applications and meets existing and proposed energy-efficiency guidelines, such as Title 24 in California.
When linked via an Ethernet network, the VBC lighting control can monitor and control thousands of lamps from a desktop, laptop or hand-held computer. This enables managers to program lighting scenes, dim fluorescent lights during closed store hours, create lighting schedules for restocking shelves, plan preventive maintenance programs and identify parts to be replaced - all without costly and bulky add-on wires and components normally associated with traditional lighting control systems. The VBC lighting control also enables instant demand response, which allows users to instantly dim or control lights to instantly conserve energy.
The VBC controls are available immediately through a pilot program with IEPC. For more information, visit iepc.cc , email vbsales@iepc.cc or call 714-892-4443.
About IEPC
International Engineering Products and Consulting Corp. ("IEPC") of Huntington Beach, California was founded in December 1997 originally as a contract engineering company, and incorporated in January 1999 as a California C Corporation. Privately held, IEPC now specializes in developing lighting control products. For the past four years the company has concentrated on an energy management system that replaces magnetic ballasts, timers, relays, control panels and the intensive wiring required to connect each lighting fixture to external parts with one standalone unit.
