Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently enjoyed the opportunity to interview Jamie Britnell, Director of Product Marketing, Synapse Wireless for an article about how electrical distributors can sell networked lighting controls to LED upgrade customers, increasing revenues and service value. The article will be published in the October 2022 issue of tED Magazine, the official publication of the NAED. Transcript follows.
DiLouie: What are the advantages of incorporating a networked lighting control system (NLC) into an LED upgrade in an existing building for both the electrical distributor and the building owner?
Britnell: One of the driving factors for including a networked lighting control system is the need to meet strict energy codes. We’re seeing many areas of the country continuing to adopt and enforce energy codes that are designed to reduce energy consumption, lower demand on the electrical grid, and minimize the carbon footprint of industrial and commercial facilities. Typically, this has only applied to new construction, but we’re seeing more of these codes being applied to existing buildings and locations. Often, to be considered in these regions the solution must support energy-savings strategies such as daylight harvesting, high-end trim, and task tuning.
Additionally, rebates and other incentives may be available on the project when LEDs and NLCs are included. These programs sometimes require advanced capabilities of the solution to measure and validate energy usage, including report generation, for long periods of time.
These capabilities are designed to give the building owners the system that they need at a cost point that meets the constraints of the project. By offering both LED luminaries and lighting controls across a wide variety of use-cases, the electrical distributor can supply a complete package to cover the lighting requirements for the project. The distributor can become the one-stop shop for lighting projects across a wide variety of applications. Ultimately, this results in a satisfied customer that all those in the value-chain – from the lighting manufacturer, distributor, and electrician – are all working to achieve.
DiLouie: How would you categorize the various offerings of NLC systems available on the market?
Britnell: In general, the industry categorizes NLC systems into a few different broad categories. For example, the industry tends to categories NLCs into outdoor vs. indoor systems. Obviously, the environmental factors require a more robust design and protection when dealing with outdoor locations as opposed to more environmentally controlled indoor environments. You see this categorization with the Design Lights Consortium’s Qualified Product List for NLCs. Additionally, the physical medium – wired or wireless — in which the controllers and sensors communicate is another one of the ways the industry categorizes NLCs. There are several options on the market today for wired or wireless systems, each with their own benefits and drawbacks for specific deployments. For wireless systems, you see many manufacturers and industry channel partners talking about the wireless protocols being used in those systems. Things such as Bluetooth Mesh, Zigbee, SNAP, cellular, or some other wireless protocol.
Whatever the category, it’s important to choose the right control solution for the job. As an example, the wireless controls built for office spaces or room control do not offer the capabilities to manage large parking lots or larger distribution centers. It is also true that a system built for large scale lighting systems with hundreds or thousands of lights will not be a good fit for a small room with 4 lights and a wall switch.
Regardless of the categories that may exist within the industry, the important thing to consider when recommending NLC is to understand the problem you’re trying to solve for the customer. Each of the different categories emerged to address one problem or another that existed in the market. It’s important to know what the right technology or deployment model may be needed to ensure the customer’s control solution is going to not only meet the requirements for a specific project, but also give the end-user a good experience with the system.
DiLouie: What application characteristics in an existing building are particularly well suited for recommending an NLC? What should electrical distributors be looking for?
Britnell: First, it’s important to understand how the building or facility is going to be used. The occupants of the space may have certain needs that a NLC would be well-suited to address. As mentioned earlier, with CA Title 24, ASHRAE 90.1-2019, DLC NLC requirements, advanced energy-savings strategies are being implemented within the networked lighting control system. These are all requirements that can be gathered as the project is being designed and quoted.
There are some specific things to be aware when deciding to recommend an NLC. For parking garages or indoor high-bay facilities with skylights, daylight harvesting can play an important role in reducing ongoing energy costs. Additionally, for manufacturing facilities or warehouses, task tuning – where light levels are modified based on the tasks being performed on the floor – can help drive improved efficiency and energy savings.
Furthermore, additional applications outside the lighting network are being added to the lighting control solution. We are seeing integration with BMS systems becoming more commonplace. Also, as Industrial IoT gains traction in manufacturing markets, additional applications that utilize the lighting network as a backhaul mechanism for monitoring the condition of equipment and other sensor data, are appearing. A robust wireless networked lighting control system is often a preferred solution in these environments for those types of IoT applications.
DiLouie: An electrical distributor wants to recommend an NLC option for an LED upgrade. What thought process (if/then) should the distributor use to scale and target the most appropriate NLC from the categories you described above?
Britnell: It all comes back to what type of facility or location and how you expect the customer to utilize the system. Those are the first pieces of data that a distributor or specifier should discover when recommending an NLC.
One capability not mentioned earlier is the ability to remotely access the system over the internet versus only being able to access the system locally. Locally-hosted options are typically best suited for small, single-site locations. This could be a parking lot, baseball field, or stadium. Other solutions may support a cloud-hosted infrastructure. This deployment method is typically highly-scalable and can support several different add-on applications. Cloud-based solutions offer the ability to remotely connect multiple facilities under a single management platform. We’ve seen this work exceptionally well for property management companies that oversee multiple retail locations across a disperse geographic region. This model has also be adopted by warehouse distribution centers and manufacturing facilities that want to consolidate building management operations into a single system.
DiLouie: What are the main technological trends in NLC development, and what problems are they solving to make this option more attractive?
Britnell: One trend that we’re seeing is the emergence and adoption of the D4i standard. The D4i standard is an extension of the DALI2 standard and is being adopted by lighting component manufacturers. The standard establishes a mechanism for developing IoT-ready luminaires, creating a common digital control and communication protocol that can be shared among the LED drivers, lighting controllers, and sensors. The next era of lighting is digital and the digitization of these components will provide additional data for performance as well as trouble-shooting problems.
D4i includes data for power monitoring, run-time hours, and other performance-related data. In combination with IoT software platforms, this data can be aggregated and provide insights on performance, warranty-related issues, and expected end-of-lift timeframes. Plus, when combined with ongoing service contracts, channel partners can begin to offer monitoring services, break/fix, and moves/add/changes to their company’s portfolio.
DiLouie: What specific market and industry trends are pushing NLCs towards being more attractive for LED upgrades in existing construction?
Britnell: Existing construction poses its own set of challenges, not found in new construction. Depending on the facility, the best option for adding NLCs to the job is to deploy a wireless solution. Since running new low-voltage cabling for the control lines in an existing facility is often cost-prohibitive, the preferred option is to install a wireless solution to minimize the installation costs. Diagnosing problems in this situation is also easier, since the technicians do not have to trace down wiring problems that run for hundreds of feet through tight crawl spaces or the plenum.
Additionally, lighting control software and IoT platforms are making a positive impact in many commercial industries, especially within existing industrial locations (such are warehouses and manufacturing). A ubiquitous wireless lighting network across the facility is the ideal entry point for IoT data. Because all of these facilities incorporate lighting, a IoT communication network grid is essentially installed as a part of an LED retrofit. With this network in place, compatible sensors can be distributed through the facility to monitor various equipment and processes.
DiLouie: What do electrical distributors need to know to recommend and sell NLCs effectively? What education is required, what level of education is required, and what are the benefits of investing in this education?
Britnell: It is important to invest in educating your team on the various networked lighting control options on the market and where they fit into specific use-cases. There are a number of resources available, including from the Lighting Controls Association, to bring your team up to speed on the technology and the role lighting controls play in a project. The LCA “Education Express” is a free resource available to lighting industry members. Education Express training modules are used by NALCMO for their CLCP Certification, CALTCP and NLCAA training and certification for the state of California, and recognized by the Design Lights Consortium (DLC) as a preferred resource for lighting controls instruction. These resources would be an excellent place to start and would provide the knowledge needed to tackle most lighting control projects.
DiLouie: What role do rebates and the DesignLights Consortium’s Qualified Products List for NLCs play in the market? Are there other external factors, such as perhaps adherence to retrofit requirements in energy codes, that play a role in whether an NLC is deployed in an LED upgrade?
Britnell: There are a few factors involved when determining whether rebates or other incentives play a role in including NLCs in a project. One factor is the region of the country where the project is located. Local energy codes vary state by state and even city by city. It’s important to check with local energy code regulators to determine what may be required in your area. Additionally, enforcement of codes in these areas vary wildly. Some have very strict ongoing measurement and verification, some require inspection before a site can receive its COI, while other areas have no enforcement whatsoever.
Another factor in determining the incentives in an area would be the policies and programs of the local utility company. Some local utilities provide rebate or other incentives when NLCs are included on a job. Typically, these utilities require that the control solution be listed on the DLC’s Qualified Product List.
DiLouie: What methods can electrical distributors use to project energy savings resulting from an NLC so as to estimate return on investment?
Britnell: There are various studies out there, available from the DLC, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Lighting Controls Association (LCA), on the typical savings from LEDs and adding networked lighting controls. These studies provide a good reference point on the savings that a location could achieve. To provide a more finely tuned estimate, the distributor, specifier, or manufacturer’s representative would need to work with the customer on what specific dimming and energy-savings strategies could be implemented on the project. This becomes a mathematic exercise, using the power consumption of the lights when set to 100% brightness as the baseline. Occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, task tuning, and scheduling will all contribute to the savings. Usually, estimating the dimming strategy based on occupancy rates or business hours will provide an initial approximation of the reduction in power consumption for the lighting zone.
DiLouie: In a hypothetical project, the NLC does not result in a sufficient ROI. What is the play here for selling in part based on data generation, and how can electrical distributors help customers build a business case based on applying the data to a financial benefit?
Britnell: ROI is just one consideration when weighing whether or not to include lighting controls on a project. Often, there are non-energy benefits to adding controls that make the solution, as well as those providing the systems, more valuable to the customer long-term.
Specialized capabilities are emerging in certain market segments. Those include color tuning and white temperature tuning. These use-cases are being primarily driven in horticultural application, sports venues, and multi-use facilities.
Plus, the capability of lighting control networks to collect data via photocells, occupancy, and non-lighting sensors in IoT applications provide another factor in considering a wireless lighting control network. Lighting companies that create and deliver services “beyond the light” that are built around the IoT capabilities of their solutions will become more valuable in the data-driven future.
Electrical distribution companies should position themselves to take advantage of this rising tide of income opportunity. As mentioned early, the digitization of lighting such as the adoption of D4i, is creating opportunities to harvest data about the expected lifetime of the luminaire, the condition of the equipment, and performance statistics. Lighting as a Service is one service-oriented innovation occurring within these segments of the channel. While it provides a mechanism for a distributor to diversify its services, it also helps end-user customers offload the maintenance of their lighting solution to a trusted third party.
DiLouie: If you could tell the entire electrical industry just one thing about applying NLCs to existing buildings, what would it be?
Britnell: The lighting industry is changing rapidly. More digitization is coming and the integration with IoT systems is inevitable. Electrical distributors who are on the forefront of learning and recommending these technologies can carve out a specialized niche in the lighting distribution channel and provide value-added services to their customers and partners.
DiLouie: Is there anything else you’d like to add about this topic?
Britnell: When a new lighting solution is installed, building and facility owners may need support in a few different key areas to get the most out of their new lighting and control solution. If there are basic questions to resolve, such as reconfiguring schedules or setting up new users, these types of questions will usually flow back to the manufacturer’s support website or online knowledge base. More advanced support may be needed when lights are being replaced or added to the system. One area in which the electrical distributor can add additional value to their service offering is to become the expert on this level of support. Investing in this education and solution offering can make the role of the distributor more “sticky” resulting in more long-term value to the customer and revenue for the distributor.
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