GET CONTROL!
Networked Lighting Controls Offer
Deep Well of Energy Savings By CRAIG DILOUIE, LC, CLCP
Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP serves as education director for the Lighting Controls Association (www.LightingControlsAssociation.org), a council of NEMA dedicated to educating the public about lighting controls.
As first-generation LED lighting systems begin to be replaced, a significant opportunity to maximize energy savings by incorporating networked lighting controls is emerging, particularly when HVAC integration is included. Networked lighting controls have been demonstrated in research to reduce LED energy consumption by 50+ percent. By integrating HVAC control via lighting systembased occupancy sensors, total commercial building energy consumption can be reduced by up to 5-10 percent. Applying these energy savings to Arizona and Connecticut as regional models, Arizona would realize net benefits of $217 million by 2030 and Connecticut would realize net benefits of $1.2 billion. These are major findings of “Economic Potential of Networked Lighting Controls in Commercial Buildings,” a 2023 study conducted by the DesignLights Consortium (DLC), a consortium of utilities and energy efficiency organizations. The study was undertaken to evaluate networked lighting controls from a utility point of view so as to properly consider them for energy efficiency programs. Energy efficiency programs are looking for cost-effective sources of energy savings. As energy efficiency programs begin to see saturation of LED lighting, they are evaluating the future feasibility of lighting, traditionally a deep well for energy savings. The DLC undertook the study to evaluate the energy savings opportunity for including networked lighting controls. 56
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The results demonstrate that significant energy savings are achievable, but widespread adoption will require strong support from energy efficiency programs. In review, networked lighting controls are control systems in which devices are networked for the implementation of multiple lighting control strategies. These devices may be embedded in luminaires at the factory or field installed. Networking connections may be wired or wireless. Programming and control zoning are software based, while data collection provides the potential for nonenergy benefits related to occupant comfort, wellbeing, and security. Integration with HVAC operation can occur at various levels of the building management system. Generally, the higher the level of integration, the greater the energy savings, system sophistication, and end-user expertise needed to control both the lighting and HVAC systems. At the sensor level, a lighting system-based occupancy sensor could feature two outputs, one for the lighting circuit and one for an HVAC relay contact. At the field controller level, programmable controllers can be deployed. At the server level, the lighting and HVAC systems integrate via software and, if they are not designed based on the same protocol, an interface module is deployed. The DLC study modeled benefits for Arizona and Connecticut. Conducted by NV5, the DLC study model used these states as fair representatives for their respective regions, the Northeast and Southwest. The building stock in these states was profiled using National Renewable Energy Laboratory