Lights Stuck on at High School Due to Software Failure
nbcnews.com
nbcnews.com
The problem is a bunch of idiots decided that to solve the problem of people forgetting to turn the lights off they needed a complicated technology to do it for them.
That technology was made with duct tape and bailing wire, and the school system didn’t get a long term support SLA, and whatever controller controls the lights failed open. That part can’t be replaced.
The thing about light switches is they don’t require SLAs, and they’re inexpensive.
I’m sure everyone felt great about spending half a mil on this junk. The few grand the lights being left on is probably the least costly thing about this mess. Green initiative indeed.
> when possible, teachers have manually removed bulbs from fixtures in classrooms while staffers have shut off breakers not connected to the main system to douse some of the exterior lights.
In my house, in 2018, I did some similar automation with off the shelf consumer grade hardware. I used the Lutron Cassetta system. Every circuit on the system still has a switch that can be operated manually. If the little box that does the scheduling and connects to the internet dies, all of my lights can be controlled manually. If any of the switches die, I can replace the switch individually.
And furthermore, if I decide that I don't like the system, any ordinary electrician can rip it out and use old fashioned conventional switches.
It’s precisely this. There are plenty of commmercial off-the-shelf lighting controls systems by established companies like Lutron, Acuity, Wattstopper, Douglas, and Hubbell. The company in question changed hands several times in a few years, which is not a good sign for operations and maintenance support.
The electrical engineer for the school probably specified his buddy’s fly-by-night lighting controls line in the bid documents instead of specifying an established manufacturer’s lighting control system and the school gets left holding the bag. Fun!
> Osborne said they immediately reached out to the original installer of the system only to discover that the company had changed hands several times since the high school was built. When they finally tracked down the current owner of the company, Reflex Lighting, several more weeks went by before the company was able to find somebody familiar with the high school’s lighting system, he said.
"Made In America" won't help much, if you're going to churn-tastic suppliers for complex infrastructure that needs to be kept working long-term.