Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the pleasure of interviewing Stephen Zhou, Executive Vice President, mwConnect, for an upcoming article about lighting control trends for tED Magazine, the official publication of the NAED. Here’s the transcript.
DiLouie: How would you characterize demand for lighting controls in 2024? How strong is the category?
Zhou: We see continued growth and adoption of lighting controls in 2024, albeit at a slower pace compared to the rush after the COVID lockdown. The commercial office new construction market right now is relatively quiet, due to the new hybrid working models adopted by many companies. The high interest rates also affect both new construction and retrofit markets, causing longer payback periods than in the past. There are many uncertainties across the marketplace, such as the war in Europe and Middle East, the US-China tension, and the fact that it is an election year.
DiLouie: What do you see as the top five trends in the marketplace shaping demand for lighting controls? Are there any sweet spots in terms of current vertical markets/applications, particularly among existing buildings?
Zhou: The continuing trend toward interoperability tops my list; the L Prize competition’s focus on this and other technology advances is a significant driver in advancing innovation in our industry. Digitalization of drivers has taken off in Europe, replacing the analog 0-10 volt dimming drivers with DALI drivers that are data rich. HVAC integration, whether through BACnet or thermostat integration, is advancing rapidly. We’re also seeing a trend, not technological, but market-based, of returning manufacturing to North America to simplify supply chains. Another trend we’re seeing related to this is the development of greater product circularity.
DiLouie: In recent years, rebates promoting networked lighting controls have grown in availability, with some even appearing in midstream programs. What impact if any have these rebates had on demand for lighting controls in the existing buildings market?
Zhou: We have seen some terrific projects with rebates, such as one we recently completed in the Great Lakes region. This health club facility realized more than a million kWh in energy savings annually and a payback of less than two years (see before/after photos). Strong rebate programs can help customers who might not consider advanced lighting controls to take another look, and really realize some terrific benefits.
DiLouie: What are the top five technological trends in lighting controls, and what impact are these trends having on the state of lighting in 2024?
Zhou: The continuing trend toward interoperability tops my list; the L Prize competition’s focus on this and other technology advances is a significant driver in advancing innovation in our industry. HVAC integration, whether through BACnet or thermostat integration, is advancing rapidly. We’re also seeing a trend, not technological, but market-based, of returning manufacturing to North America to simplify supply chains. Another trend we’re seeing related to this is the development of greater product circularity.
DiLouie: Advances in DALI and Bluetooth NLC have promised greater opportunities for interoperability, with lack thereof often cited as an inhibitor to adoption. How strong an impact will these strengthening open standards have on lighting control development and adoption?
Zhou: In May 2020, the Bluetooth SIG and DALI Alliance announced a joint effort to standardize the interface between the two open standards. The result is DALI standard Part 341, Bluetooth Mesh to DALI Gateways which enable intra-luminaire interoperability. This standard allows any Bluetooth NLC devices to communicate to DALI drivers in a standard communication protocol. The Bluetooth NLC devices will extract the data from the DALI drivers, and execute precise dimming, including tunable white and full color control.
We remain committed to a product development roadmap for interoperable products, to provide the marketplace with the most choice and flexibility. Today all of our Bluetooth NLC and D4i certified products include DALI Part 341. We are seeing more interest in DALI standards in North America as the marketplace becomes more educated on the benefits.
DiLouie: As the installed base of LED lighting ages, both indoor and in particular outdoor, there is emerging a national opportunity to replace these older systems with the latest technology. What opportunities will there be for lighting control sales in these applications?
Zhou: There are misconceptions in the marketplace that Bluetooth NLC is only for indoor applications. In reality, Bluetooth NLC is a very good technology for almost all outdoor applications. Running control wires for outdoor LED luminaires is prohibitively expensive, which leaves wireless as the only practical and affordable option. The Bluetooth NLC devices today are capable of over 2000 feet in range from point to point. Adding the robust mesh feature, a Bluetooth NLC outdoor lighting control system could be expanded from small parking lots to multiple parking structures to campus wide outdoor lighting systems.
Using Bluetooth NLC, we can also coordinate indoor and outdoor lighting control, enabling building owners and facility managers to control all their lighting with one interoperable network.
Obviously, we believe that any project involving a lighting upgrade, either from legacy sources or older LED sources offers a prime opportunity to include controls. With some of the open standards available, particularly Zhaga Book 18 for outdoor lighting, integrating controls is so simple and the benefits so substantial, it’s really a no-brainer.
DiLouie: Several years ago, the Internet of Things promised buildings that generated massive amounts of data that could be used to improve building performance and efficiency. Demand was slow to materialize. What data applications have you seen used most often, what benefits do they deliver, and what needs to happen for more demand to develop?
Zhou: Right now, we’re seeing the focus on fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) as well as grid interaction, primarily demand response. These were the requirements in the L Prize Prototype Phase. Definitely there are strong benefits to be realized with effective FDD, in terms of the best use of maintenance resources and streamlining those. The next phase of the L Prize, with its emphasis on commercially available, installed solutions competing for the prize, should go far in attracting attention from the marketplace and proving out these valuable capabilities.
DiLouie: Market forces toward greater integration with lighting controls and other buildings systems appear to be strengthening. Would you agree with that statement, and what impact is this having and will this have in the future?
Zhou: Yes, we are seeing greater interest and incentive to develop more effective integrated controls. For instance, the third L Prize phase, the manufacturing and installation phase, specifically calls out HVAC integration as one of the key capabilities for competing entries. While the lighting controls industry has worked for many years to develop effective integration of controls with other building systems, the focus has primarily been on integration with BACnet systems. With the new emphasis on electrification and specifically heat pump technologies for heating/cooling, we may finally have the needed impetus for a wider range of integration. Using sensors in a lighting network to talk to HVAC systems is actively being done, reducing the cost and complexity of the integration. The same sensor network in the control system can also provide asset tracking, space utilization and indoor navigation. We have seen more and more projects with such integration.
DiLouie: As lighting control applications become more complex, particularly where integration or data services are implemented, lighting project participants need to be more adept at best practices. What best practices should distributors be aware of, and how can they learn?
Zhou: Although the lighting control solutions have become more complex, the tools for design, commissioning and operations have seen great improvement in the past decade for simplicity and ease of use. There are design platforms that integrate building design with lighting and lighting control design. App based commissioning and control are incorporated into many commercially available lighting control systems. Interoperability between devices has improved dramatically.
But all these new tools, software and system still require workforce training. There are a range of educational opportunities available for distributors, from online resources such as those provided by LCA and others as well as in-person trainings and technology summits. Many manufacturers offer in-person and online training as well. These can all be great resources for electrical distributors to seek out. Developing an in-house training program can be another path to establishing a strong, controls-oriented market program, reinforcing in-house knowledge while partnering with manufacturers to help educate contractors.
DiLouie: What else can electrical distributors do to become stronger, more proactive sellers in this category? What’s in it for them?
Zhou: Some key ways to differentiate a company from others is to offer robust value-added services. These can range from providing ongoing training to collaborating with manufacturers on demonstration projects and activities to bring advanced controls into the everyday arena for contractors. Working closely with contractors to assist with rebate opportunities may be another avenue.
DiLouie: If you could tell the entire electrical distribution community just one thing about current trends in lighting controls, what would it be?
Zhou: The future with advanced lighting controls is here and the opportunities continue to increase. It requires new skills across the supply chain to capture this opportunity, from manufacturers to distributors to contractors.
DiLouie: Is there anything else you’d like to add about this topic?
Zhou: Today’s lighting control systems are very scalable. The same essential system can provide control for a simple room, all the way up to control of a large building with integration of other systems. Distributors can find excellent solutions that meet the needs of all their customers.
Leave a Reply