PALATINE, Ill. — February 25, 2008 — The Siloam Family Health Center in Nashville, Tenn., has employed an energy cost-savings strategy using Square D® Wall Switch Occupancy Sensors from Schneider Electric, allowing allocation of more budget to maximizing patient care. The sensors, which use passive infrared (PIR) technology to detect occupancy, requires a button press to activate lighting in occupied rooms much like a standard light switch. If lights are accidentally left on when the room is vacated, the sensor automatically turns them off after a preset time delay. Forty sensors were co-donated by Schneider Electric’s three Middle Tennessee locations — Nashville, La Vergne and Smyrna — in December 2007, as part of the facilities’ Mission for the Community initiative.
“Schneider Electric delivers solutions that reduce overall energy costs and make life simpler for customers,” said Scott Jordan, Square D product marketing manager. “Square D Wall Switch Occupancy Sensors will help the Siloam Family Health Center achieve its mission of providing affordable health care to the community by reducing energy costs. By saving energy in unoccupied rooms, funds can be devoted to bettering the lives of others.”
The sensors, which were installed in January 2008 and are located throughout the clinic, feature a 180-degree field of view and cover up to 1,000 square feet. They are suitable for use with electronic and magnetic fluorescent ballasts and incandescent lighting. The sensors easily replace a standard light switch and do not require a neutral connection or minimum load, making retrofits easy and fast. Time delay is adjustable from 15 seconds to 30 minutes, and all sensors are factory pre-set to 18 minutes for optimum convenience and energy savings.
The non-profit Siloam Family Health Center is a full-service clinic, providing care to patients from diverse backgrounds who do not have insurance. Patient donations are appreciated but not required, said Lisa Ellis, director of development. The center, located in a three-year-old building, comprises offices, X-ray and treatment rooms, conference rooms, a chapel and a pharmacy. It has a staff of 25 volunteers and is complemented by 500 volunteers, including Tuan Ta, who works at Schneider Electric’s La Vergne facility and was instrumental in organizing the donation.
“For an organization like ours, any cost savings in our operating budget allows us to see more patients,” Ellis said, adding the clinic served 16,000 patients in 2007. “Putting more of our budget into patient care is extremely important. We provide whole-person care, including mind, body and spirit. Because the clinic is faith-based, it does not receive any federal funding, and because we don’t get any insurance reimbursements, unlike other clinics, we have to raise our budget every year, which is challenging. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the opportunity to be able to allocate more budget to our patient care.”
For more information about Square D Wall Switch Occupancy Sensors with Manual-On, call 1-800-868-9662 or visit http://www.squaredlightingcontrol.com For more information on the Siloam Family Health Center, call 1-615-298-5406 or visit http://www.siloamhealth.org
Headquartered in Palatine, Ill., the North American Operating Division of Schneider Electric had sales of $3.7 billion (U.S.) in 2006. The North American Operating Division is one of four operating divisions of Schneider Electric, headquartered in Paris, France, and markets the Square D®, Telemecanique® and Merlin Gerin® brand products to customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States, Schneider Electric is best known by its flagship Square D brand, with Telemecanique becoming increasingly known in the industrial control and automation markets and supported by many Square D distributors. For more than 100 years, Square D has been a market-leading brand of electrical distribution and industrial control products, systems and services. Schneider Electric is a global electrical industry leader with 2006 sales of approximately $17.2 billion (U.S.). Visit Schneider Electric on the Internet at:
• Corporate – http://www.us.schneider-electric.com
• Telemecanique Products – http://www.us.telemecanique.com
• Square D Products – http://www.us.squared.com
• Merlin Gerin Products – http://www.us.merlingerin.com
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