The EMerge Alliance – an open industry association promoting the rapid adoption of safe, low-voltage dc power distribution and use in commercial building interiors – announced that eight professionals representing a broad spectrum of organizations with interests in the design, construction, energy efficiency and use of commercial facilities will serve on a newly created EMerge Advisory Council.
Members of the Advisory Council include:
Larry Eisenberg, Facilities Planning and Development Director, Los Angeles Community College District; Karl Johnson, Research Director and Program Manager, University of California – California Institute for Energy and the Environment (CIEE); Ben Kaplan, Vice President, Turner Construction; Naomi Miller, Principal, Naomi Miller Lighting Design; Tom Paladino, CEO, Paladino and Company; Gary Saulson, Director of Corporate Real Estate, PNC Financial Services Group; Jeff Shepard, President, Darnell Group and Alok Singh, Design and Engineering Services Manager, Southern California Edison.
According to EMerge Alliance Chairman Brian Patterson, the purpose of the Advisory Council is to incorporate broad public- and private-sector thought leadership from design, construction, energy and the environment into the strategic direction of the Alliance and its standard.
"One of the many strengths of the new EMerge Standard will be the guidance that comes from leading organizations and professionals involved in buildings, as well as the power, control and device supply chain," said Patterson, who is with the building products division of Armstrong World Industries, an EMerge Founding Member. "Members of the new Advisory Council will directly influence the strategy employed to create and deploy this new standard, developed around the use of safe, low-voltage DC power. Their input and recommendations will be a key ingredient in the EMerge Alliance’s strategic planning and in our success."
Traditionally constrained by fixed overhead lighting and a wide variety of electrical devices that typically have been permanently wired for a building’s lifetime, rather than occupants’ changing needs, building owners have been seeking systems to make buildings more adaptable and energy-efficient. The Advisory Council will contribute to the EMerge Alliance’s focus on addressing these widespread needs for greater flexibility, efficiency and sustainability.
"Builders and end-users alike need smarter, more flexible power systems as the presence of digital devices becomes more pronounced and enhanced energy efficiency takes on an even more important role in our buildings," said Advisory Council Member Ben Kaplan with Turner Construction, the nation’s leading builder of green buildings. "A hybrid dc power system can bring significant advantages through increased flexibility for building owners and managers adapting to changing needs and the more efficient use of new alternative energy sources."
The EMerge Standard will provide for the selective and scaleable distribution of low-voltage dc power within common infrastructures already present in commercial interiors, such as those typically found in the ceiling plane, providing facility managers with the ability to readily arrange and rearrange lighting, sensors, and other devices without the need for rewiring. The standard also will embrace the move toward alternative energy by providing a more efficient, direct connection between new energy sources and interior electrical loads, like lighting and controls.
