CASE STUDIES

Witbank

During the first quarter of 2006, this client contacted Clipsal South Africa to acquire the contact details of, in his words, “the best Systems Integrator you have”.
Thornton Homes then met with the client to establish his exact requirements & get the ball rolling. The development was done in the upmarket Bankenveld Estate on the banks of the Witbank dam.

The client’s requirements were total automation of all his lights, underfloor heating, swimming pool as well as his irrigation system. Seeing that the client has his own security company that would take care of his security and surveillance systems, the only requirement from Thornton Homes in this regard, was the integration of the C-Bus system to the security system.

A lot of ground work went into the project in terms of liaising with the architect, building contractor and electrical contractor, since none of them had previous experience with the C-Bus system. A training course, as well as on-site assistance was given to the electrical contractor and his assistants.

Detailed architects drawings which included the lighting layout, was obtained from the architect. The lighting layout was then adapted to suit the C-Bus system, and all the time continuous liaison was maintained with the architect & electrical contractor. Full documentation specific to the installation was handed over to the electrical contractor at the beginning of the contract, and updated as and when it was required. This included the lighting layout, C-bus input devices and their locations, data network drawings, installation guidelines and whichever information was relevant or requested from Thornton Homes.

Numerous site visits were done in conjunction with the electrician to ensure that all specifications were adhered to and obviously to monitor the quality of the installation.

Almost 80 light circuits, several underfloor heating circuits, swimming pool motor and light, and also irrigation valves are all controlled from the C-bus input devices which include colour touch screens, the very classy Ulti-Saturn DLT glass-fascia switches. Occupancy sensors take care of switching lights on when movement in a specific area is detected and off again when the area is unoccupied. The built-in light level detectors in these sensors also ensure that lights only switch on when required and not when there’s enough ambient light in the room. The light level sensor (day/night sensor) installed also takes care of the automatic switching of various lights when it gets dark and again at dawn. In this instance some of the internal lights in the communal areas also switches on at dusk, but are then overridden by the client when going to bed.

Various scenes have been programmed into the system to create different moods by means of lights. “Entertainment”, “good night” and “welcome” are just a few of the customized scenes that have been set up for the client. Some of the other disciplines like the security system are also incorporated into some scenes, but are not discussed in more detail, for obvious safety reasons.

The integration to the security system also proved to be very effective. The open-close status of the garage doors are displayed on the touch screens by means of magnetic door contacts which are connected to the security system and then feed this information to the C-Bus system. The C-Bus system is also capable of arming the security system or activating the panic alarm. In the event of an intrusion or emergency situation, the security lights are also switched on automatically at night, and the armed response company notified. The system also features a GSM cellphone interface which enables control of specified systems in the house by means of SMS and also sends SMS’s to the client in the event that certain monitored conditions in and around the house are breached.

Master underfloor heating control is taken care of by the C-bus system. What this entails is that all underfloor heating zones will be switched off once the occupants leave the house over a weekend or for a holiday, and in return switches everything on again when they get home. In this way no underfloor heating zone will be “forgotten” on. There is no interference with the underfloor heating system’s thermostats or own built-in intelligence and normal temperature control is still maintained by the underfloor heating system itself.

The irrigation system are linked to, controlled and monitored by the C-Bus system. Irrigation schedules are set up for different times during different seasons. These times may also be edited by the client at any time without the use of a computer or laptop, as this can be done locally on the touch screen.

Universal programmable hand-held remotes were also supplied to the client. These learnable remotes could replace numerous individual remotes e.g. the TV remote and DVD remote and could also be used for remote control of the C-Bus touch screen or the latest technology multi-sensors. These look and act as occupancy sensors, but in addition feature built-in infrared receivers which are used to control C-Bus from these universal remotes.

The precision with which this project was handled by al the parties involved made it an installers dream.