Rebates remain a strong incentive for investing in energy-efficient lighting and controls. In 2021, significant opportunities are widely available for LED lighting and controls, including continuing availability of rebates for networked controls.
IECC 2021 Decoded
In January 2021, the International Code Council published the 2021 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which has been updated every three years since 2000. This new version reduces lighting power allowances, expands mandatory controls requirements, and issues clarifications.
2021 Nonresidential Construction Forecast: Decline but Rebound Next Year
In January 2021, the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation’s leading construction forecasters, projected a 5.7% decline in nonresidential construction spending in 2021. Construction spending is then projected to grow 3.1% in 2022 as the renewal of economic activity unleashes pent-up demand for nonresidential space.
Will Controls Be Key to Circadian Lighting?
While “circadian lighting” varies in definition, it generally refers to design that uses intensity and spectrum of light for a non-visual effect—namely, to support regulation of circadian rhythms. A new study suggests that by enabling intensity and spectral adjustment and optimizing exposure based on time of day, designers and owners can minimize the energy tradeoff imposed by associated typically much-higher light levels. This would entail use of an advanced lighting control system capable of scheduled dimming and perhaps spectral emission adjustment.
Nurses Want More Lighting Control
A U.S. Department of Energy-funded Pacific Northwest Energy Laboratory (PNNL) study found that hospital nurses value controllability in lighting and that this controllability can translate to greater satisfaction among patients.
NEEA Studies Luminaire Level Lighting Controls
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) recently published a study seeking to compare one-for-one luminaire level lighting control (LLLC) retrofits with a comprehensive networked lighting controls (NLC) redesign. Conducted by the University of Oregon, the study found that a one-for-one LLLC upgrade produced comparable energy savings and lighting quality at a competitive cost.
Lighting Control and BAS Integration
With increasing frequency, lighting control systems are tasked to interoperate with other building systems such as building automation systems (BAS) to share information and automate building functionality. Ensuring communication and smooth interoperability is called integration, a potentially challenging undertaking during a project. This is the topic of a new Education Express course developed for the Lighting Controls Association by C. Webster Marsh, HLB Lighting Design.
Introduction to Automatic Plug Load Control
This article, based on the Lighting Controls Association’s new Education Express course EE202: Automatic Plug Load Control, provides an overview of approaches used to automatically control plug loads in commercial buildings.
Integrated Lighting Campaign Launches in June
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Interior Lighting Campaign is undergoing a fresh launch as the Integrated Lighting Campaign in June 2020. The program’s core goal of market transformation is the same, with many of the same services and benefits to participants, but the promoted suite of technologies is now going beyond LED adoption toward integrated systems. The Lighting Controls Association is proud to support this program as a member of its Organizing Committee and an inaugural Supporter.
Lighting Controls Association’s Spring 2020 Product Guide
The Lighting Controls Association is proud to announce the latest offerings in lighting controls from industry-leading manufacturers. Check them out!
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