CJD Engineering, LLC, a company specializing in mechanical, electrical and other engineering services, knows more than a little about the importance of operational efficiency in corporate office buildings. In fact, the ability to engineer solutions for operational, energy efficient, and controlled buildings is central to their offerings.
So, in 2019, when CJD Engineering was looking to outfit their own new home office in Springfield, Mo., with window treatments for some of the building’s largest, most prominent windows, it made sense that energy efficiency would be a driving factor in their shade selection.
“We had just built a modern headquarters and were outfitting it with automated and energy efficient features throughout the building,” says CJD Engineering Owner/Principal/Engineer Ryan Jones.
“We had heard good things about Joplin, Mo.-based PowerShades, and knew that their automated shades could enhance both workflow and energy efficiency. It would be an ideal fit.”
CJD Engineering purchased a total of 21 motorized True PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) shades from PowerShades, pairing them with windows throughout the building’s open-concept, two-story office area, as well as in CJD Engineering’s training room.
Lightapalooza took place in late February, and the growth of the event has mirrored the rapid ascension lighting fixtures and controls.
“The office area is home to off-white, 50% visibility shades,” Jones explains, “filling the space with controlled, natural light. We specified blackout shades in the training room to ensure that the PC sand video screens used in employee training would be easy to view without causing eyestrain or being affected by disruptive glare.”
Another reason why the team at CJD Engineering was immediately drawn to energy efficient, automated shades is because new building had an abundance of large windows, most with southeast exposure allowing bright light to stream in throughout the workday.
The ability to lower and raise the shades was essential to reduce glare and keep the room at a comfortable temperature. However, many of these windows were located high above the ground, out of reach for practical or safe manual control, Jones explains. Automated shades ensured that control of the shades was always within easy reach.
The shades help reduce glare throughout CJD Engineering’s new building. (Photo/PowerShades & CJD Engineering)
“We have wall-mounted controls and remote controls that allow employees to individually adjust the shades as needed. These are not only easy to access, but they are also easily operated by any employee, requiring minimal instruction,” Jones explains.
PowerShades’ automated shades can be programmed to go up and down at certain times of day, setting a schedule through the dashboard.
“Using the automated scheduling feature, we can set the shades to maintain glare control from direct morning sun, and we don’t have to rely on users to open or close the shades in the afternoon to let in daylight,” Jones says.
“Plus, from outside the building, the simultaneous, timed shade control helps us to maintain and present a consistent look — particularly important at night when the lights are on in the building.”
The motorized shades not only improve the work environment at CJD Engineering, they also reduce the company’s heating and cooling costs. By scheduling the shades to stay open more frequently in the winter, CJD Engineering can be more energy efficient, using less heat and reducing their use of lights.
The company can automatically schedule their shades to close in the summer, naturally cooling the interior space. Because the shades can be programmed to be open or closed at certain times of the year or day, CJD Engineering can optimize energy management. For some PowerShades customers in the resimercial and residential space, that has meant a reduction in their monthly utility bills by up to 30% while lowering their environmental footprint.
“The lighting and temperature control combined with the reduced energy consumption of the PowerShades have been an ideal match for CJD, a company that strives to exemplify efficiency at every level,” Jones says.
“Another reason we opted to go with the PowerShades,” Jones continues, “is that they offered shades with the most developed PoE capabilities. We viewed this as an advantage that would not only lead to easy install and operation, but greater reliability as well.”
The True PoE shades offer all the benefits of the company’s RF automated product, along with additional advantages. With PoE automated shades, a single Cat-5 cable provides both power and communications, so there is no hard wiring necessary.
Additionally, the PoE motor is low voltage (under 50VAC), so it doesn’t require a licensed electrician. It uses only 5 watts to power a full-size shade. With power coming from a single, central source, more information can be transferred on the network cable while improving reliability over traditional RF solutions.
The installation of the energy efficient shades at CJD Engineering went smoothly, despite the challenges posed by the location of many of the windows. And since that initial install, the shades have met the company’s high expectations for reliability.
“Any maintenance or service needs have been quickly addressed by the PowerShades tech team,” Jones reports.
“Overall, the shades are working out great for us at our home office. Everyone at CJD Engineering loves the way the automated shades look, and they appreciate the shades’ functionality even more.”
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