Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1414667
October/November/December 2021 I 49 Although the United Way is not often associated with being high-tech, UWCA implemented an advanced IP phone system in 2002 to deliver 2-1-1 service that strives to empower Alabamans from all walks of life across the entire State of Alabama to "Get Help or Give Help." The phone service is free and confidential, serving as the first point of contact for individuals to gain access to available community services and get accurate and current public information. Since being one of the first non-profit organizations to deploy an advanced IP phone system, UWCA has continued to implement emerging tech- nologies that help maximize operational efficiency under the direction of Doug Goodwin, UWCA's vice president of information systems of more than 20 years. With both Goodwin and UWCA's local full-service ICT contractor being early adopters of technology, it is no wonder that emerging technologies like PoE lighting, sound masking, and advanced audiovisual (AV) technologies were selected for the new facility. MAKING A MOVE TO COST-EFFECTIVE PoE LIGHTING Despite the fact that few architects have completely embraced PoE lighting over traditional LED lighting systems that are powered via line voltage, UWCA decided to implement PoE lighting. It was not a decision that was made lightly. As a non-profit organization funded via grants and donor funds, UWCA needed to pay close attention to both initial costs and operational costs. "Because we have had a long-standing relationship with UWCA, we needed to verify that PoE lighting would be the most cost-effective lighting system," says Carl Sosnin, account executive with the full-service ICT contractor responsible for designing and implementing the low-voltage systems at the new facility. "We did our due diligence by meeting with multiple PoE lighting manufacturers to hash out the technical details and get all of our questions answered surrounding this emerging technology. We even took the time to visit one of the vendor's headquarters to see firsthand a real-world install and speak directly with their engineering staff." To ensure a cost-effective and high perfor- mance installation, a thorough budget comparison was conducted between a line voltage and PoE lighting system. Due to the labor savings that comes with eliminating the need to run an electrical circuit to every luminaire, the PoE lighting system proved to be the less expensive option. This was significant to obtaining buy-in from the building design team who originally specified a line-voltage lighting system. To get their feet wet with the technology and ensure that their technicians were properly trained prior to implementation at UWCA, the ICT contractor even installed PoE lighting at their own office. "Working with a contractor who has experience with PoE lighting and who clearly did their due diligence made the decision even easier, giving us the confidence that they could handle the job and handle it well," says Goodwin. "Many electrical contractors are not yet well versed in this technology, and with ICT systems and networking not typically in their wheelhouse, that would have put the onus on UWCA to handle the integration." Goodwin had also been looking at PoE lighting as it has emerged over the past few years. While he knew that a line voltage LED lighting system offers control features, having the luminaires connected to the switched Ethernet network provided additional benefits. "Having granular control and capabilities, such as occu- pancy sensing, daylight harvesting, and color tuning, are certainly attainable with a line voltage LED system, but with network-connected luminaires, we saw the potential to eventually integrate the lighting system with other building systems to help lower operational expenses." See Figure 1. FIGURE 1: PoE lighting was deployed throughout the UWCA new facility, including a combination of ceiling troffers and downlights for a total of more than 500 fixtures and more than 200 IP-based wall controls.