NEW SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: Convia Commissioning/Maintenance Partnership

Convia/A Herman Miller Company recently announced its partnership with lighting maintenance provider, Sylvania Lighting Services (SLS). The partnership with SLS will help Convia customers meet energy goals by giving them access to Sylvania’s technicians nationwide for commissioning and maintenance services of the Convia energy management system.

Pioneered by Herman Miller, Convia represents an integrated energy management platform that combines ease of use with flexibility and allows for the creation of sustainable spaces that can accommodate massive amounts of change. It is a building energy management solution that allows users to control, meter, and change lighting, plug load and HVAC systems. With control and monitoring of office plug loads, Convia offers a cost-effective solution to meet strict building performance codes and standards, including the new ASHRAE 90.1 NEC Code that will require 50% of plug loads in new facilities to be controlled.

Convia represents an energy management platform that allows for the creation of facility spaces that can accommodate massive amounts of change.
Convia represents an energy management platform that allows for the creation of facility spaces that can accommodate reconfiguration.

Convia technology coupled with Walkerflex® flexible wiring from Wiremold/Legrand means systems can be deployed, reconfigured, expanded, or pared down as desired. A crucial feature of the system’s offering is in its ease of implementation; the distributed nature of Convia means no centralized and complicated lighting panels. In contrast to other systems that provide estimates and averages of energy use, Wiremold/Convia provides actual power consumption by zone. It compares actual usage versus different energy baselines and identifies the zones that are consuming more than expected power. This data allows facility managers to constantly identify trouble spots as well as easily set and meet energy reduction targets.

The partnership with SLS will benefit Convia facility users, since as much as 20% of energy can be saved through continuous commissioning—the process of ensuring a building is performing as intended. With more than 850 technicians across the country, SLS has become a local service provider for Convia customers. When Convia technology is integrated into a building, a local SLS representative will be deployed to the site to perform commissioning. Sylvania technicians will be deployed if maintenance service is requested or to support adjustment for optimum building performance.

New Licensing Agreement

In a move to propel energy management and building performance strategies, Herman Miller and Legrand announced a new licensing agreement last week. Extending the companies’ strategic alliance, the agreement gives Legrand rights to market and further develop the Herman Miller Convia technology within the building infrastructure segment. Herman Miller will work with Legrand to continue to integrate and sell the technology within its systems furniture for the commercial interiors market.

Under the new licensing agreement, Legrand and Herman Miller will have greater flexibility to focus on expanding the technology into their respective markets. Legrand will now operate the Convia business and brand as a key part of its building energy management solutions. All Convia products will be sold and commissioned through Legrand, and Legrand will continue to serve and support existing Convia customers. Herman Miller will continue to sell energy efficient workstations with embedded Convia technology.