Guest Post by Kevin Willmorth Flicker presents itself in several forms, each with its own cause. For lighting decision makers, avoiding flicker requires understanding what causes it and what can be done to avoid it. For a good understanding of what flicker is and how we see it, NEMA’s position paper TLAs-2015 Temporal Light Artifacts [...]

Guest post by Steve Mesh, LC A relatively recent trend in the industry is to embed “luminaire-integrated” (embedded) controls into each fixture. This can be done in different ways, with different types of components, and with different types of control systems. The most basic version of “luminaire-integrated” controls consists of on-board sensors that tell the [...]

Republication of Postings from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program by Jim Brodrick, SSL Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy It’s no secret that the explosion of connectivity triggered by the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) is also impacting the lighting industry — to such an extent as to constitute [...]

The most recent Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) collected new information about lighting control technologies and strategies in the United States in 2012. Compared with other investments in energy efficiency—such as upgrading heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems or replacing insulation—lighting controls are often “relatively easy, accessible, and affordable changes,” according to the Department of [...]

Occupancy and vacancy sensors are devices that detect when a space is unoccupied and accordingly automatically turn OFF (or dim) the lights, thereby saving energy. The device may also turn the lights ON automatically upon detecting the presence of people, providing convenience and a potential security aid. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, occupancy-based [...]

Guest post by Steve Mesh, LC Networked lighting control systems are all the rage these days. Rightfully so, given their enormous capability to control luminaires, energy use – and potentially much more. But what are the major elements that define a networked lighting control system? Understanding that will help the specifier to decide which system [...]

The 2017 DOE Connected Lighting Systems Workshop was held June 7–8, 2017, in Santa Clara, CA. Now you can download the presentations from the DOE SSL website and discover what the speakers had to say about key issues in connected lighting and what actions are needed to move it forward. Click here to get the [...]

A good lighting design includes a good controls design. Lighting controls play a critical role in lighting systems, enabling users manually or automatically to: • turn the lights ON and OFF using a switch; and/or • adjust light output up and down using a dimmer. This basic functionality can be used to generate these benefits [...]

This short video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2016 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to the software behind the Synapse Wireless SNAP lighting control solution.

Guest post by Kevin Willmorth, Lumenique In small- and medium-scale lighting application, wired controls remain the foundation for robust controls system architectures. However, the growth of wireless controls is expanding rapidly, and for good reason. The advantages of wireless controls include the ability to move controls and loads and re-assign control-to-load connections without involvement of [...]

When evaluating an existing lighting system, the owner can do nothing, something or everything. Doing nothing abandons operating cost savings. Doing something entails replacing lamps and installing some automatic controls. Doing everything involves installing a new lighting and control system. As many owners opt for the “something” option, demand for LED replacement lamps continues to [...]

The Lighting Controls Association is proud to welcome McWong International, Inc. as a new member of the association. McWong International has bridged East and West to offer its customers a mix of quality, service and innovation. A California corporation, McWong develops and manufactures high-quality lighting control equipment and related electrical components. Products include occupancy sensors, [...]

Below is a transcript of an interview Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP conducted with Gary Trott, Vice President, Marketing, Intelligent Lighting, Cree, Inc. for an article developed for tED Magazine. The topic: luminaire-integrated lighting controls. DiLouie: What types of luminaire-integrated controls are available for LED lighting? Trott: As smart technology continues to expand into our workspaces, [...]

The Lighting Controls Association is proud to welcome Intermatic Inc. as a new member of the association. Intermatic Inc. manufactures energy-saving lighting controls for industrial/commercial/institutional and residential applications. The company offers timer-switches, sensors, photocontrols, power protection devices and meters through a network of distributors and retailers. Founded in 1891, Intermatic is headquartered in Spring Grove, [...]

Relying on tunable white light is the “best, most-affordable way to ‘future-proof’ your work and designs and ensure very high performance.” So said Terry Clark, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Finelite, Inc., while participating in the National Lighting Bureau’s Annual Lighting Forum as one of three panelists focused on new and emerging developments [...]

The Lighting Controls Association is proud to announce a new partnership with the California Community College System (CCCS) to educate tomorrow’s electrical workforce about energy-saving lighting controls throughout California. CCCS is the largest system of higher education in the nation, with 2.1 million students attending 113 colleges. This partnership aims to upskill an electrical workforce [...]

In 2015, the International Code Council published a new version of its International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). This model energy code provides states and jurisdictions code-ready language to adopt in whole or in part. It has been updated every three years since 2000. Today, a majority of states base their commercial building energy codes on [...]

With Powerlink intelligent panelboards, a huge sports stadium is able to automate lights, televisions and more, improving their energy efficiency and gaining convenient, remote control. Learn how in the below video or click here.

This educational video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2016 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to Douglas Lighting Controls’ Bluetooth Wireless Control System. This product is a complete stand-alone wireless system used to control lights in a variety of applications. The system includes wireless fixture controllers, switches, and occupancy/daylight sensors all using [...]

In an article recently published by Oracle’s Profit, Current by GE CTO David Bartlett saves LED lighting not only saves energy but also presents new capabilities due to it being a digital platform. He compares it to a smart phone, which bundles multiple functions into a single device. “It’s to the point where I don’t [...]

Craig DiLouie LC, CLCP recently interviewed Rohit Udavant, Matt Petti, Joe Bokelman, Mike Lunn, Soroush Amidi and Gaurav Aggarwal, product managers at Eaton Corporation, about luminaire-integrated lighting controls. These interviews were used to develop an article on the topic for tED Magazine. DiLouie: What types of luminaire-integrated controls are available for LED lighting? Rohit Udavant: [...]

Roy Harvey, LC of OSRAM SYLVANIA Inc., SSL Electronics & Infrastructure Standards & Regulatory Affairs Vice-chair of ASC C137 and Head of C137.1 Ad Hoc Group, recently contributed a blog post to UL.com describing the C137 standard. This standard covers a 0-10V analog interface between dimmable LED drivers, fluorescent ballasts and dimming controls. Click here [...]

A complete stand-alone wireless system to control lights in a variety of applications. The system includes wireless fixture controllers, switches, and occupancy/daylight sensors all using Bluetooth® wireless technology. Also available is a fixture mounted controller and sensor with Bluetooth technology providing wireless communication and occupancy/daylight control in one device. Click here to learn more.

The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) has completed its “Intelligent Buildings and the Impact of the Internet of Things” research project, conducted by IHS Markit. Intelligent Buildings Council, a core working council of CABA, commissioned the landmark research project to examine the impact of IoT related to intelligent buildings. The research report provides actionable data [...]

In a feature article recently published in ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP describes the basics of outdoor lighting control, energy code requirements and advanced options such as wireless networks, which can generate unprecedented opportunities for control and information. Check it out here.

A team of faculty and graduate students from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) and Boston University was awarded a U.S. patent titled “Sensory Lighting System and Method for Characterizing an Illumination Space.” The patent describes how the LED lighting system in a space can detect occupants’ presence, location, [...]

Guest post by Steve Mesh, LC Because of recent trends in the lighting industry, it is now possible to “dial in” a desired color temperature in certain light fixtures at specific times of the day or night. One of the main trends making this possible is the mixture of different color LEDs in architectural fixtures. [...]

By Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP Many utilities offer incentive programs to customers to get them to use less energy. This is based on the premise that it is often cheaper to pay customers to use less energy than to build new generating capacity to satisfy future power demand. The simplest and most popular type of [...]

This short video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2016 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to the SNAP mesh network lighting control solution by Synapse Wireless. Click here to learn more.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the opportunity to interview Manuel Oomen, Senior Director of Product Marketing, Philips Lighting, on the topic of luminaire-integrated lighting controls. DiLouie: What types of luminaire-integrated controls are available for LED lighting? Oomen: For indoor lighting, integrated controls include presence detectors, (day)light sensors and receivers. For outdoor lighting presence detectors [...]

We recognize that our popular Education Express online distance-education program has been running slower than normal in recent months. We appreciate your patience while we resolved the problem. We’re happy to report the issue has been addressed, and the site is loading very quickly. Thank you for using Education Express! Click here to check out [...]

The Lighting Controls Association welcomes RAB Lighting as a new member. RAB Lighting is committed to creating high quality, affordable, well designed and energy efficient LED lighting and controls that make it easy for distributors to sell, electricians to install and end users to save energy. Founded in 1946, RAB has a vibrantly growing infrastructure [...]

Guest post by Kevin Willmorth. Superficially, dimming seems to be a simple operation. Turn a knob, slide a bar, or touch a screen to change light levels – done and done. This simplistic form of dimming was once applicable to resistance loads (incandescent lamps) using rheostat controls. The combination creates a naturally feeling dimming profile, [...]

The U.S. Department of Energy recently posted the presentations from the 2016 DOE SSL Technology Development Workshop, held November 16–17 in Denver. You can download them here. The controls-related presentations included: Connected Lighting: What Is It, What Makes It Different, and Where Is It Going? Moderator: Michael Poplawski, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Matt Petti, Eaton [...]

We’re very proud to unveil the new look for the Lighting Controls Association website. The new site offers the same robust content as the old but with a cleaner format. Here are the major changes: * Clean, attractive design * New software for The Buzz, bringing you all LCA member social media feeds in one [...]

U.S. real GDP slowed to 1.6% in 2016, the lowest growth rate since 2011. However, the outlook for construction spending in 2017 continues to be positive for all market sectors. The AIA’s semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation’s leading construction forecasters, is projecting nearly 6% growth in nonresidential construction spending in 2017, [...]

This short video, produced by the Lighting Controls Association at the 2016 LIGHTFAIR event, introduces the building industry to nLight wireless networked digital lighting controls by Acuity Brands. Click here to learn more.

In “Lighting Controls for Dummies,” a presentation at 2016 LEDucation in NYC, Andrea Hartranft, LC, IALD, of Hartranft Lighting Design, LLC, attempts to demystify lighting control vocabulary and provide a better understanding of solid-state dimming. Lighting Controls for Dummies from LEDucation on Vimeo.  

The Lighting Controls Association has published a basic guide to applying lighting controls to open office spaces. Hoteling, hot-desking and other open office design trends are increasing demands for lighting flexibility. Meanwhile, commercial building energy codes are increasing demands for energy efficiency. A well-designed lighting and control system can maximize both of these objectives. Authored [...]