Square D® Launches Daylight-Saving Time Solutions Website to Assist in Lighting Control System Upgrades

Schneider Electric’s Square D® brand announced today the launch of a Web site that will assist electrical contractors, system integrators and commercial building owners and managers in updating Square D Powerlink® and Square D Clipsal® lighting control products for the impending change in daylight-saving time in the United States. The Daylight-Saving Time Solutions site can be found at www.squaredlightingcontrol.com/dst.cfm.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated that daylight-saving time in 2007 will start the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November. Since 1986, daylight-saving time started the first Sunday in April and ended the last Sunday in October. The change will require different upgrades to Square D lighting control solutions, such as Powerlink AS and Powerlink G3 whole-building systems and Square D Clipsal color and monochrome lighting control touch screens.

“It is extremely important that commercial building owners are proactive about the change in daylight-saving time,” said Scott Jordan, Square D Product Marketing Manager. “When clocks move forward an hour on Sunday, March 11, it could create problems for unprepared building owners. Critical lights like signage and parking lot lighting will turn on an hour later, because the lighting control solution will still be configured for the April 1 daylight-saving change. Similar issues will be present for systems still configured to change Oct. 28. Energy costs will increase, because lights are turning on unnecessarily.”

Jordan said that specific upgrades are required for each Square D lighting control solution:

Square D Powerlink G3: All Square D Powerlink G3 controllers contain daylight-saving time schedules with field-erasable memory. Schedules for 1000-, 2000- and 3000-level controllers with
firmware versions 2.X, 3.X, 4.X and 5.01 require an upgrade (i.e., a software “patch”) to account for the daylight-saving time change. The upgrades can be downloaded at the Square D Daylight-Saving Time Solutions Web site, along with instructions for administering them.

Square D Powerlink NF1000G3, NF2000G3 and NF3000G3 controllers contain configurable schedules for setting daylight-saving time start and end dates and, therefore, do not require an upgrade. However, users should verify the correct dates are loaded to ensure proper operation.

Square D Powerlink AS: Square D Powerlink AS controllers contain daylight-saving time schedules based on rules prior to 2007 that are stored in a permanently flashed memory chip. Factory modification is required for proper operation with daylight-saving time changes. Upon receiving the controller, modifications will be made and it will be shipped back within two to four weeks.

Square D Clipsal: Square D Clipsal lighting control touch screens contain a calendar function with configurable schedules that need to be modified to operate with 2007 daylight-saving time rules. Schedule modifications can be performed by the installing Square D Clipsal integrator or by returning the unit to the factory.

Contractors, system integrators or end users with questions about their Square D lighting control solution and possible upgrades to account for the daylight-saving time change should call the Square D Lighting Control support line at 615-287-3400.

For more information about the Square D Powerlink or Square D Clipsal lighting control solutions, call 1-615-287-3400 or visit www.squaredlightingcontrol.com.

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^â, Telemecanique^â and Merlin Gerin^â 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 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.).

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