Energy & Cost Impacts: Networked Lighting Controls

Energy and demand savings can be achieved through a combination of lighting control strategies, including area control, dimming, scheduling, occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, and institutional tuning. If equipped with the necessary hardware configuration, networked lighting controls can implement automated demand response (ADR) to reduce energy use.

Networked lighting control products are most efficient and offer the most benefit when connected to dimmable light sources. The use of dimmable sources and a room-level lighting control system are often the only way to enable certain lighting control strategies, such as personal dimming, institutional tuning, and automated demand response. Because of this, wireless room-level lighting control systems are typically installed with dimmable LED luminaires. This creates a one-time, permanent load reduction (often via conversion from fluorescent to LED sources) and generates additional savings beyond that achieved by the controls themselves.

Certain lighting control systems enable a building to participate in automated demand response (ADR) programs. When the ADR feature is provided and the building owner enrolls in a utility ADR program, additional demand reduction savings during critical events are created by reducing the power of preselected lighting fixtures in response to an automated signal from the utility. ADR is not designed as an energy savings strategy. It is focused on short-term demand reduction, however energy is saved during demand response events. Facilities that participate in the ADR program and reduce their load in response to these events typically receive reduced energy pricing and/or alternate incentives such as rebates.