Just the right lighting

YIT has developed extensive capabilities and experience in remote building and facility monitoring, handling day-to-day property management issues, managing alarms, generating reports on areas such as energy usage, and providing 24/7 diagnostics. The analysis of alarm data and system optimisation that it offers help cut maintenance costs, while its reports give customers valuable information on how well existing systems are operating and where to focus future development efforts.

One of the latest areas to benefit from YIT’s application know-how is street lighting. The smart control system that YIT has developed links lighting control units with control room software using the latest UMTS900/2100 and GPRS wireless protocols. Compared to older technology, this provides much more precise control over street lighting networks and the ability to manage lighting levels as conditions change. It also saves on energy and extends the life of lamps, reducing the time and money spent on replacing faulty units.

The software on the YIT control server includes detailed maps of the lighting being managed and shows the real-time status of networks, and will alert personnel via email and SMS if problems develop in control units or system communications.

Process control units switch lights on and off on the basis of ambient light data from sensors in the field, which can be overridden where necessary on particularly cloudy days, for example. Should 3G/GPRS links fail for whatever reason, lighting will be switched on and offusing sunset and sunrise times for the locality concerned. System software can also be pre-programmed to switch lighting offlate in the evening or early in the morning to save energy. If needed, maintenance personnel can also switch lighting on and offusing simple SMS commands.

YIT street lighting management solutions are used in numerous towns across Finland, as well as by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency along roads and highways nationwide. Photo: Joni Nuutinen.