On Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 12:00 PM ET, the Illuminating Engineering Society will present a webinar providing an overview of the concepts in ANSI/IES LP-16: Documenting Control Intent Narratives and Sequences of Operations.


Who Is Responsible for Lighting Controls?
OPR: What are the Owner’s Project Requirements? That’s what Julia Gordon, a lighting designer with 25+ years of experience, posits on every project.

C. Webster Marsh Examines the Paradigm Shift in Controls
Many designers, manufacturers, and contractors are resisting change, Marsh notes in his column, and it appears as though we are headed towards a third paradigm shift that will sustain those who adapt and eliminate those who don’t.

Best Practices for Lighting Control Narratives
As lighting controls become more sophisticated in application and capabilities, properly documenting the system’s intent and settings becomes critical. One of the most important documents is the control narrative, including a detailed sequence of operations. Though required by commercial building energy codes as documentation for many new construction and major renovation projects, aside from the Lighting Controls Association, manufacturers, and a few other sources, there are few resources providing guidance about how to write them. Enter the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), which took on the challenge by publishing ANSI/IES LP-16-22, Documenting Control Intent Narratives and Sequences of Operations in June 2022.

IES Publishes Standard on Control Intent Narratives and Sequences of Operation
The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recently introduced four new standards: standardizing iterations of lighting controls intent, navigating near-field photometry, the importance of UV lighting, and promoting a balanced outdoor environment.

Introduction to Luminaire-Level Lighting Controls
Luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLC), also called embedded controls, are lighting control systems in which sensors and controllers are installed within luminaires to enable autonomous, individual luminaire control. By making each luminaire a control point, control is highly flexible, responsive, and therefore generally more energy-saving. Serving as a preview for an upcoming Education Express course, this article describes LLLC technology, system types, advantages and disadvantages, studies characterizing energy savings and cost, and what’s familiar and distinctive in regards to design and installation.

Understanding Lighting Controls Interactions
Modern lighting control systems require a lot more components than they used to. As a result, a lighting controls designer’s job has come to include the documentation required to fully specify a system, which includes well-defined devices, narratives, and sequences. This column by C. Webster Marsh is the first part of a multi-part series that hopes to identify how lighting controls interact with each other and how best to implement a documentation style that is shared with current industry trends.

Get a Grip on Lighting, Focus on Controls: Steve Mesh
In this special lighting controls edition of the Get a Grip on Lighting podcast, C. Webster Marsh and Ron Kuszmar interview Steve Mesh about the state of lighting controls.

Lighting Controls and the Return to the Office
Matt Ochs, senior director of commercial business for Lutron Electronics, recently contributed an article to BUILDINGS Magazine talking about how lighting controls can support the return to the office, either fully occupied or in a hybrid office-home office model.

Designing with Lighting Controls
In 2020, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) published ANSI/IES LP-6-20, Lighting Control Systems: Properties, Selection, and Specification. Drawing on the Lighting Controls Association’s Education Express offering as a primary source, this 111-page Lighting Practice and American National Standard provides an excellent foundation for designing with lighting control systems.