Native DC Loads

By combining UL-listed High-Bay LED lighting with a DCMG, you can eliminate wasted conversions, increase your organization’s resilience, reduce operating costs, and future-proof your electrical infrastructure.

High Bay Lighting Advantages

HIGHER SYSTEM EFFICIENCY: DC lighting eliminates unnecessary AC to DC conversions, reducing electrical losses by up to 15%. LED lights are inherently DC devices. The DCMG supplies power in the native format LEDs require.

NATIVE COMPATIBILITY WITH RENEWABLES & BATTERY SYSTEMS: DC lighting can be powered directly with renewable DC energy sources such as solar or wind paired with stored battery power.

Customer value:

• Lower system cost
• Higher overall efficiency
• Longer battery runtime during outages
  

FUTURE-PROOF ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: DC lighting is the first step toward a fully DC-powered facility. Once the infrastructure has been installed, the future loads below are much easier and more affordable to add on.

• EV chargers
• DC HVAC
• DC office lighting
• Data and controls

LIGHTING DURING GRID OUTAGES: High-bay lighting will remain operational during utility outages when powered by renewables and/or DC batteries. Ideal for warehouses, logistics centers, manufacturing floors, gas stations, and more.

INCREASED RELIABILITY, FEWER FAILURE POINTS: Simplified DC drivers reduce component stress and failure rates. Your business will experience fewer maintenance calls, less downtime, and longer fixture lifespans.

SUPERIOR DIMMING & SMART CONTROL INTEGRATION: DC lighting integrates seamlessly with sensors and energy and battery management systems. Users will see additional cost savings - up 30-50% -through the use of occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting, and scheduled dimming.

REDUCED INSTALLATION COSTS: In high-ceiling spaces, DC distribution enables lower current, smaller conductors, and simpler wiring, resulting in faster deployment in high-bay settings and 15-25% savings on wiring and installation.

COOLER OPERATION = LONGER LED LIFE: Lower power losses mean less heat inside the driver and luminaire. Outcomes include improved thermal performance, extended L70/L80 lifespan, and better output stability.

ESG, SUSTAINABILITY, & LEED ALIGNMENT: DC lighting will reduce your organization’s energy waste and carbon footprint.

• Supports ESG goals and initiatives
• Improves sustainability reporting
• Strengthens LEED/green building positioning
• Provides opportunity for carbon credit trading

DC lighting uses direct current electricity at safe, low voltages like 24 to 48 volts to power LED light fixtures. LED lights naturally run on DC power, so when a building’s lighting is fed by a DC microgrid, the lights can be powered directly in the form they need. 

Continue reading to learn how to make lighting an intentional part of your building’s digital infrastructure, not an afterthought.

How It Works

In a DC microgrid-powered building, electricity from renewable energy sources or batteries is delivered as DC power throughout the facility. LED lighting systems connect to this DC supply via standard low-voltage cabling, often without needing heavy-duty conduits or complex transformers. 

In a conventional setup, each LED light has an internal or external driver that converts AC to DC, wasting some energy as heat. By contrast, a DC microgrid provides power already in DC form, so the lights use it immediately – eliminating those extra conversion steps and energy losses. 

According to research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Lab, this can boost lighting energy efficiency by an estimated 10–18% at the building scale, simply by avoiding all the individual AC-to-DC converters that traditional systems need. In practical terms, that means more of the electricity from your power source (or solar panels) ends up as useful lighting, and less is wasted as heat.

DC Lighting Benefits

Beyond energy savings, DC lighting works hand-in-hand with renewable energy and improves reliability.

Solar panels and batteries produce DC power natively, so a DC microgrid can channel that clean energy straight to your lights with minimal waste. This makes it simpler to design net-zero energy buildings or off-grid systems, since the solar energy doesn’t need unnecessary conversion to AC and back. 

Low-voltage DC infrastructure can also reduce installation costs – the wiring for under-60V DC is generally less complex, does not require heavy electrical conduit, and can even carry power and control signals together, which simplifies setup of smart lighting and sensors. 

Finally, a DC microgrid adds resilience: with a renewable energy source and/or a battery backup, your lights can stay on during a power outage. This inherent ability to keep critical lighting running during emergencies is a major advantage for hospitals, emergency shelters, and businesses that need uninterrupted power.

The benefits of a DC lighting system far outweigh those of its legacy competitor. Contact us today to get started with your own DC lighting project.

Homes and businesses expend 40-60% of their total energy usage on HVAC. Shouldn’t yours be working as efficiently as possible to save you money?

Direct current (DC) HVAC systems are heating, ventilation, and air conditioning appliances engineered to run on direct current electricity instead of the standard alternating current (AC) from the grid. In a building with a DC microgrid, these advanced HVAC units can be powered in the same form of electricity that many of their components already use internally. 

By providing DC power from the start, a microgrid lets the HVAC system operate without the usual conversions from AC, resulting in less energy wasted and simpler, cooler-running equipment. Notably, HVAC is the largest consumer of electricity in commercial and residential settings, so even modest efficiency gains from DC power can translate into significant cost savings.

How do they work with a DC microgrid?

Because the DC microgrid provides power in the form the equipment needs, there’s no need for multiple energy-sapping conversions. For instance, electricity from a solar array can flow straight into a DC HVAC system without first being inverted to AC and then converted back to DC for the fan or compressor. Each avoided conversion step means less energy lost as heat – typically, every AC-to-DC or DC-to-AC conversion wastes about 5–10% of the power as heat. 

The bottom line is that a DC microgrid allows HVAC equipment to run more efficiently, with a simpler power path and fewer electronics in the way of the energy.

DC HVAC System Benefits

Energy Efficiency & Cost Savings: Using DC for HVAC means less electricity wasted in conversion. The system runs more efficiently, which can cut total HVAC energy use by roughly 7–10% under real operating conditions. These efficiency gains directly lower utility bills and help reduce peak power demand during the hottest (and most expensive) hours of the day.

Fewer Failures & Less Maintenance: Simpler power electronics lead to improved reliability. Traditional HVAC units rely on complex inverters and power supplies that often run hot and can fail (for example, a DOE study found nearly two-thirds of LED light driver failures were due to their AC-DC converter circuits). In a DC HVAC system, those stress-prone components are minimized or eliminated, reducing the risk of breakdowns and extending the equipment’s lifespan.

Ideal for Renewable Energy & Battery Power: Seamless integration with clean energy sources. DC microgrids allow solar panels and battery storage to plug straight into HVAC systems without inefficient conversions. This maximizes the use of renewable energy (no power is lost turning solar DC into AC and back) and makes it easier to design net-zero energy buildings. Plus, a DC-powered HVAC can run directly from batteries during outages, keeping critical cooling or heating online when the main grid is down for better resilience.

In a setup where an EV charging station is tied into a DC microgrid, power from solar panels or other DC sources can flow directly to EV chargers without detouring through multiple AC conversions. This means an EV connected to a DC microgrid-based charger can receive energy more quickly; the charging station supplies high-voltage DC power straight to the car’s battery, bypassing the limitations of the car’s small onboard AC-to-DC converter. 

The result is significantly faster charging (often boosting an EV battery from 20% to 80% in about 20–40 minutes for many models). At the same time, skipping multiple conversion steps reduces energy losses, so more of the electricity from the source actually ends up stored in the vehicle. In fact, experts from national laboratories have noted that for high-power systems such as EV fast charging, avoiding even a 5–10% conversion loss at each step can translate to tremendous energy and cost savings over time.

Moreover, a DC microgrid typically includes on-site battery storage that can charge from the grid during off-peak times or directly from renewables, and then discharge to support EV charging when needed. This means the microgrid can buffer and supply the intense power bursts that fast chargers require, helping maintain stability and avoiding excessive sudden demand on the main grid. It also allows the chargers to continue operating during a grid outage, drawing on renewables or batteries to keep EVs powered. 

Essentially, the DC microgrid acts as a smart intermediate layer: optimizing energy flow between the utility, renewable sources, storage, and the EV chargers. The outcome is a smoother, more reliable charging service that makes the best use of every watt of available power.

Key Benefits

Ultra-Fast Charging Speeds: Skip the bottlenecks. DC chargers provide much quicker charge times because they send power directly into the battery without waiting for an onboard AC-to-DC converter. This enables truly high-power charging (often 50 kW to 350 kW or more, depending on the charger and vehicle), meaning drivers spend less time waiting and more time on the move. It’s the difference between hours of charging vs. minutes for a meaningful top-up, making EVs far more convenient for long trips or fleet operations.

Higher Efficiency, Lower Energy Loss: In a DC microgrid scenario, power flows through far fewer conversions. By eliminating extra steps, DC charging systems can deliver the same charge using less electricity, which lowers operating costs for station owners and ultimately benefits consumers. Put simply, more of the energy you pay for actually ends up in your car instead of being lost along the way. 

Easy Renewable Integration: Solar-ready by design. DC microgrid EV chargers are inherently compatible with renewable energy sources. Solar panels and wind turbines generate DC power, and battery systems store DC power – all of which can plug directly into the microgrid and feed the chargers without inefficient conversions to AC. This makes it straightforward to create zero-emission “solar-powered” charging stations, where sunshine captured on-site goes straight into your vehicle. Besides the clear environmental benefits (charging your car with clean energy), this also insulates users from volatile electricity prices and can reduce demand on the utility grid during peak times. 

Reduced Grid Strain & Resilience: Smart charging, even during outages. High-power EV charging can draw as much electricity as dozens of homes, which sometimes necessitates costly grid upgrades or can strain local transformers. A DC microgrid can act as a buffer: it can store energy and carefully manage when and how to pull power from the main grid, smoothing out spikes in demand. Moreover, a DC microgrid with battery storage provides built-in backup power. In the event of a blackout or grid emergency, the microgrid can island itself and keep critical chargers running using stored energy or ongoing solar generation. For example, an EV fleet depot could continue charging essential vehicles during a power outage, thanks to its on-site batteries and generators. This resilience is especially valuable for emergency services, delivery fleets, or remote locations where reliable power for charging is mission-critical.

DC electric vehicle chargers powered by a DC microgrid represent a cutting-edge approach to faster, more efficient, and greener EV charging.

Incorporating a smart automation system such as a Loxone miniserver into your home or business can take your digital infrastructure to the next level. 

Learn the ways in which Smart Building Automation can optimize your home or business.

Lighting: Motion-based lighting, noise-based lighting, lighting adjustment based on detection of natural light, app control of all home lighting, and more.

Energy: Energy and load manager, standby “killer”, and energy statistics available in app.

Security: Presence-based security alarm, central monitoring and control of the alarm in the app, flashing lights when alarm is activated, optional panic button, historical data/logs, and more.

Shading: Control of blinds via buttons and app, automatic shading based on sun position and temperature, natural light wake up, automated privacy protection depending on day/time, etc.

Central function: Set various modes such as night, idle, away, “house off”, and other personalized operating modes.

AAL and more: Ambient Assisted Living features including fall detection, visual reminders and passive monitoring. Battery control, hot water scheduling (boiler control), customized routines, free app control for all users, simple uniform switches, and much more.