5 minute read
Building a Lighting Maintenance Strategy for the Future
Predictive maintenance isn’t just a technology— it’s a mindset.
By Parker Allen
For years, lighting maintenance strategies have revolved around a simple equation: Install efficient luminaires, reduce energy use, and replace lamps or drivers as they fail. That formula is still necessary but no longer sufficient.
“Energy savings are now table stakes,” notes Greg Hermanowycz, Director of Technology and Project Development at Wesco Energy Solutions and Director of Wesco’s Corporate Lighting Controls Center of Excellence (COE). “We can’t assume that’s all our customers care about anymore.”
Today’s facility managers, CFOs, and safety directors each view lighting through a different lens—one focused on reliability, operational continuity, and long-term return on investment. Future-ready maintenance strategies must bring those perspectives together.
FROM ENERGY SAVINGS TO SYSTEM INTELLIGENCE
Lighting controls have emerged as the natural next step. They not only fine-tune light levels but also extend fixture life and improve monitoring. Controls allow for the capability to maintain consistent light output over the life of the fixture, as output can gradually be increased to offset fixture depreciation. The light stays consistent for years, removing the need to send a crew 70 feet in the air for maintenance every few months.
The importance of controls has been reinforced by new rebate structures and energy codes. Many utilities now require luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLC) for incentive eligibility. The cost of controls has also dropped dramatically while their capabilities have expanded.
“The technology is better, cheaper, and smarter,” Hermanowycz noted. “A single device can now act as a daylight sensor, occupancy sensor, gateway, and control brain all in one.”
THE PATH TO PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE
With that intelligence comes the foundation for predictive maintenance—a future where lighting systems diagnose and solve problems before they occur. It is the logical evolution of connected lighting.
Hermanowycz offered the following example: “Imagine you’re the facility manager of a warehouse. On Sunday, the system detects a fixture drawing more power than normal and calculates that it will fail in three months. It checks inventory, sees there’s no spare, and automatically orders one from the manufacturer with an eight-week lead time. Then it schedules the replacement for the facility’s next planned shutdown. When you walk in Monday morning, there’s a note in your inbox, updating you on the replacement.”
It’s a compelling vision—one that uses data not just to monitor but to manage operations proactively. “Systems we currently work with today already provide actionable data from system health monitoring and provide autonomous alerts via email, text, and phone call,” noted Hermanowycz. In short, the control system will dispatch maintenance personnel prior to equipment failure.”
While full-scale predictive systems are still emerging, the necessary building blocks already exist in D4i drivers, which enable two-way communication between fixtures and controls. The bi-directionality is key—the system needs to know what the fixture is doing, not just tell it what to do.
OVERCOMING OLD PAIN POINTS
Skepticism around lighting controls still lingers. “We all know someone who taped over a sensor because it was too complicated,” Hermanowycz laughed. “That’s the reputation we’re fighting against.”
New autonomous systems aim to change that. Instead of manual commissioning or dip switches, these intelligent networks self-configure by sensing daylight, occupancy, and spatial relationships. Power it up, and the system finds the walls, the switches, and learns how to behave.
For electrical contractors, this simplification has the potential to be transformative.
INTEGRATING BEYOND LIGHTING
The implications extend beyond illumination. Modern control networks can tie into building management systems (BMS) and monitor more than just the lighting.
Hermanowycz sees a layered approach emerging: lighting and lighting controls at the core, surrounded by occupancy sensors, leak detection, HVAC, and power-quality monitoring. “Facilities managers have an opportunity right now to voice their wish lists,” he said. “The industry is finally equipped to respond.”
REDEFINING ROI
As controls and sensors merge into the fabric of buildings, the traditional notion of ROI must evolve. Energy savings alone no longer capture the full picture. Maintenance savings, operational uptime, safety, and even brand perception belong in the equation.
“If a light outage causes a safety incident, or if a dimly lit store turns customers away, that has real financial consequences,” Hermanowycz noted. “Those intangibles are part of the return on investment now.”
In that sense, predictive maintenance isn’t just a technology— it’s a mindset. It’s about anticipating problems, managing risk, and using data to make decisions that serve people as well as balance sheets.
THE TAKEAWAY
Building a lighting maintenance strategy for the future means expanding the conversation beyond watts and lumens. It’s about connectivity, intelligence, and foresight—designing systems that learn, adapt, and protect the environments they illuminate.
“We’re better equipped than ever,” Hermanowycz concluded. “The challenge isn’t the technology anymore. It’s education— helping the market understand that what failed ten years ago isn’t what’s being offered today.”
