Chicago Cubs Facilities and Engineering Team Select IDEAL INDUSTRIES’ Audacy® System for Installation at Wrigley Field
Breakthrough Wireless Management System to Optimize Lighting and
Energy Usage
Jim James, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of family-owned IDEAL
INDUSTRIES, INC., today announced that Audacy®, the company’s new
wireless energy management system, passed intensive technical and
engineering review to be selected as the lighting control backbone of
the Chicago Cubs’ enhanced Wrigley Field. James said Audacy will be
installed first in the new 30,000 square-foot clubhouse and fitness
facility for the Cubs being constructed behind the third base
grandstand. The clubhouse is scheduled to open by April 11, 2016, for
the team’s home opener.
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Photo courtesy of MLB
The Audacy wireless system can reduce energy use from lighting by up to
50 percent for almost any space type – including office, retail,
multi-use and institutional buildings according to James, and is equally
simple to install in large-scale retrofit and new construction projects.
The same technology has been integrated successfully in large-scale HVAC
applications at Universal Studios in Orlando, the Stanford University
technology hub and the warehouse distribution network of a global online
retailer.
Audacy provides revolutionary wireless control via an iOS or Android
mobile phone or tablet app over multi-building lighting systems, while
automatically sensing and adjusting to ambient light, movement and room
occupancy to maintain desired settings - all while being virtually
maintenance free.
Chicago Cubs Convinced Audacy® Will Be Part of a
World–Class Experience
Carl Rice, vice president of the Wrigley Field restoration and expansion
(called the 1060 Project), praised Audacy as a “significant leap forward
in wireless energy management control technology. We’re impressed by
both the system and IDEAL Industries’ engineering and customer service
team, which has met every deadline and challenge thrown their way. Their
product support consistently exceeded every other system we reviewed.”
Over the next several years, the 1060 Project team will install Audacy
sensors, control units, gateways and reporting components into team
facilities, retail spaces, entertainment clubs and suites throughout the
ballpark.
The system will connect virtually any new or legacy lighting fixture to
a uniquely secure cloud-based operating platform. “We’ll be able to
easily set lighting parameters for optimal impact and energy
conservation in almost every venue across Wrigley Field,” said Rice.
“What’s more, we can easily make adjustments based on event type, game
delays and energy usage patterns from a tablet or mobile phone.” The
Cubs also will have the ability to automatically monitor and report on
energy usage to city, state and federal agencies, according to Rice.
Surging Global Demand for Large Scale Wireless
Energy Management Systems
“This is another big victory for our Audacy team,” said James. “The
Ricketts family is building a world-class entertainment campus and venue
around the 101-year-old ballpark. The Audacy system will be integrated
throughout the ballpark and will be evaluated for potential inclusion in
the office building and entertainment plaza adjacent to Wrigley Field,
which is controlled by a Ricketts family entity. Audacy provides the
modern solutions and experience today’s facilities managers, players and
fans desire, while seamlessly allowing the designers to preserve the
traditional aspects of the ballpark for the next generation.”
“There is tremendous global demand for superior energy management
systems that enable facilities executives and design engineers to drive
down both installation and operating costs across large-scale projects,”
said James.
James said IDEAL’s Audacy development team was challenged to
“revolutionize our thinking beyond our core business of Wire-Nuts®, but
keep it just as simple to install and operate.” In six months, the
development team had a working prototype using IDEAL’s push-in wire
termination expertise and a proprietary, patented wireless technology
that can extend the life of battery-powered devices such as sensors and
switches to 25 years with a more secure transmission and significantly
extended range.
“Our push-in wire termination expertise combined with our 915 MHz
wireless technology makes it incredibly easy for facilities managers and
building owners to deploy advanced lighting control solutions that had
previously been difficult to implement and unreliable to manage,” said
Nolan Bello, Business Unit Manager, Advanced Wireless Solutions. “Audacy
was designed to make wireless control extremely simple to install,
configure and operate while delivering effective, reliable results.”
About IDEAL INDUSTRIES
IDEAL ® INDUSTRIES, INC. is a global, diversified family business
designing and manufacturing superior products and tools for professional
tradesmen in the electrical, wire processing, data communications,
aerospace, automotive and construction industries. The 99-year old
company was founded in 1916 on the premise of forging ideal
relationships with customers, employees and communities. The company has
consistently grown and expanded under four generations of family
ownership.
About IDEAL ELECTRICAL
IDEAL ELECTRICAL is a Division of IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. The division is
a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of
enhanced energy management systems, products and technologies for
professional electricians, design engineers and facilities executives.
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