Controlling plug loads is a natural fit for the lighting controls industry, as the same devices and strategies are used for automatic shutoff of plug loads such as task lighting as for general lighting. This feature article by LCA Education Director Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP looks at energy code requirements, compliance options, and control types.
All About Occupancy and Vacancy Sensors
Occupancy and vacancy sensors are devices that detect when a space is unoccupied and accordingly automatically turn OFF (or dim) the lights, thereby saving energy. The device may also turn the lights ON automatically upon detecting the presence of people, providing convenience and a potential security aid. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, occupancy-based […]
Occupancy Detection Using Light
A team of faculty and graduate students from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) and Boston University was awarded a U.S. patent titled “Sensory Lighting System and Method for Characterizing an Illumination Space.” The patent describes how the LED lighting system in a space can detect occupants’ presence, location, […]
Higher Occupancy Sensor Resolution Promises Greater Savings
Occupancy sensors are a proven strategy to reduce lighting energy consumption. As such, they are mandated by commercial building energy codes. Current codes require a maximum 30-minute time delay. Time delay is a field-adjustable setting that determines the amount of time between last detected occupancy and the lights switching or dimming. Newer codes may reduce […]
Illuminating Engineering Society Publishes LEM-7 Guide to Energy-Saving Lighting Controls
The Illuminating Engineering Society, in partnership with the Lighting Controls Association, has published LEM-7, Lighting Controls for Energy Management, a detailed guide to energy-saving lighting controls. The publication was written by Craig DiLouie, LC in support of the IES Energy Management Committee. The 48-page 8.5×11 guide, which is available for $35 (IES members) and $50 […]
LCA TV: Occupancy Sensor Basics
This video by Acuity Brands provides an introduction to occupancy sensor technology and application.
Exterior Lighting Control Strategies
The latest generation of energy codes and standards require that building exterior lighting be turned OFF and/or reduced when not in use, producing significant energy cost savings. This includes outdoor area/parking lot, bollard, entrance/exit canopy and wallpack lighting. The following decisions will ensure that energy consumption is minimized by turning lighting OFF or turning it […]
Occupancy Sensors Boost Savings at Department of Labor Parking Garage
Republication of Postings from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program by Jim Brodrick, U.S. Department of Energy The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a GATEWAY report on a parking-garage demonstration conducted at U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) headquarters in Washington, DC, which serves as a classic illustration of the savings […]
Jim Brodrick on DOE GATEWAY Report on Occupancy Sensors
Guest post by Jim Brodrick, U.S. Department of Energy There’s a great deal of interest these days in occupancy sensors as a way to save energy in outdoor commercial lighting applications. Done right, they can increase the energy savings from a lighting system that’s already efficient – such as one based on LEDs, whose inherent […]
LBNL Estimates Average Energy Savings for Popular Lighting Control Strategies
Lighting accounts for about a third of electrical energy consumption in commercial buildings. As advanced energy-saving lighting controls still have a minority penetration in the existing building stock, building owners have a major opportunity to reduce energy costs with lighting control. Adoption of advanced lighting controls faces the usual hurdles affecting all energy-efficient lighting, including […]