Senior executives from both Armstrong® World Industries and Ideal® Industries, Inc. announced an agreement to market a commercial lighting system that can lower customer energy use by 35-to-40 percent and provide the unprecedented ability to rapidly and effectively reconfigure office, industrial and retail spaces. The new system combines the Armstrong low voltage DC FlexZone™ ceiling suspension system with the new Ideal Audacy™ wireless energy management technology.

"There is growing commercial demand for both energy-efficient and flexible commercial lighting and energy management systems,” says Joann Davis-Brayman, Vice-President of Global Marketing at Armstrong.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the biggest player in commercial ceilings to bring an incredibly smart commercial energy management solution to market,” says Nick Shkordoff, Vice-President and General Manager of Ideal Electrical, a division of Ideal Industries.

Both companies are active members of the EMerge® Alliance, an open industry group creating standards for the use of direct current (DC) power that better facilitates the use of site-based power generation. The new offerings are intended to support the organization’s vision for Net Zero energy use in commercial buildings.

DC Flex Zone

"The Armstrong UL-Listed DC FlexZone grid makes the use of low-voltage direct current to power the latest low-energy, high-efficiency LED lighting fixtures, sensors, and controls in ceilings safe and practical” says Shkordoff.

Future State of Lighting Technology

“The simplicity of the innovative Audacy wireless lighting system represents the streamlined future state of lighting technology for commercial buildings,” points out Davis-Brayman. “Together we can significantly improve the flexibility and reuse opportunities within interior spaces by enabling faster and easier repurposing and reconfiguration that satisfies the changing needs of building occupants without the need for costly rewiring.”

The DC-powered architecture used in DC FlexZone grid and the Ideal wireless lighting system improves reliability through component reduction and equipment simplification. By avoiding wasteful back and forth conversion between AC and DC power while allowing a simplified coupling to newer on-site sources of electrical power, including solar, wind, bio-fuel cell, and other natively DC renewable energy resources, better energy efficiency can be achieved at the same time.

For more information on Armstrong DC FlexZone ceiling grid suspension systems, visit www.armstrong.com/dcflexzone.

For more information on the Ideal wireless lighting system, visit www.audacywireless.com.

For more information on the EMerge Alliance and its standards, visit emergealliance.org.