The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to offer Lighting Controls and the 2024 IECC, a Lighting Controls Academy course, available as a free video.

The commercial lighting rebate outlook is strong for 2026, with widely available rebates covering all popular categories of LED lighting and lighting controls, including networked lighting controls.

The Lighting Controls Academy has published a comprehensive update to its popular Education Express course, EE107B: Lighting Controls and Commercial Lighting Rebates in 2026.

The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) has released Draft 1 of its Technical Requirements for Networked Lighting Controls Systems, V5.2 and has invited public comments.

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance offers a free toolkit for installers to get to know and use luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLC).

The TALQ Consortium recently released Version 2.7.0 of its Smart City Protocol, a global interface standard for smart city device networks.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to offer Lighting Controls and the 2021 IECC, a Lighting Controls Academy course, available as a free video.

Join the Illuminating Engineering Society on Thursday, March 19, 2026 for Light For Life®: Lighting Controls, a one-day virtual symposium exploring how lighting control strategies shape spaces that are adaptive, energy-efficient, and visually engaging.

Controlling automatic power receptacles is a natural extension of lighting control systems, as the same strategies and devices used for automatic switching of general lighting can be deployed for plug load control at the receptacle or circuit level. This article by the Lighting Controls Academy’s Craig DiLouie explains the why and how, based on NEMA guidance.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to offer Part 3 of Lighting Control System Design, a Lighting Controls Academy course, available as a free video.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to offer Part 2 of Lighting Control System Design, a Lighting Controls Academy course, available as a free video.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to offer Part 1 of Lighting Control System Design, a Lighting Controls Academy course, available as a free video.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to offer Daylight-Responsive Lighting Controls, a Lighting Controls Academy course, available as a free video.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to offer Networked Wireless Lighting Controls, a Lighting Controls Academy course, available as a free video.

This article by the Lighting Controls Academy’s Craig DiLouie reviews 2025 construction spending and key industry economic indicators, with a detailed 2026 forecast by the AIA Consensus Forecast Panel.

This guest post by Cooper Lighting Solutions’ Martin Mercier applauds a new era in “hybrid” lighting control solutions that blend the best strengths of wired and wireless control.

In a recent article contributed to LightNOW, Brent Protzman, Director of Product Management at Lutron Electronics, describes lighting’s evolution from utility to infrastructure, with insight in how to design for what’s next in lighting.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to announce it has updated its popular Education Express course, EE201: Daylight-Responsive Lighting Controls, now available at NEMA Academy.

In this video by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, two lighting experts bust popular myths about luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLCs).

The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) offers a free series of training videos covering various aspects of networked lighting controls.

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to announce it has updated its popular Education Express course, EE301: Wireless Lighting Controls, now available at NEMA Academy.

The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) recently released Version 6.0 of its Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Technical Requirements, the first major update in over five years, as well as Version 2.0 of Light Usage for Night Applications (LUNA), the DLC program designed to promote responsible outdoor lighting. The updates recognize advances in LED technology while promoting controllability as a strong path to energy savings.

In this extraordinary guest post, Cooper Lighting Solutions’ Martin Mercier describes the codes and options that make up emergency lighting and the role for lighting control systems, including wireless.

The Zhaga Consortium recently released Edition 4 of Book 18, the most widely adopted specification in the Zhaga portfolio and a cornerstone of its certification program. This new edition extends the Zhaga-D4i ecosystem to support heritage and decorative luminaires, addressing the growing need for smart, connected and circular lighting solutions across outdoor and industrial environments.

In this episode of the Lighting Controls Podcast co-produced by the Lighting Controls Academy and sponsored by manufacturer MaxLite, hosts C. Webster Marsh and Ron Kuzmar interview industry veteran Mitch Hefter, LC, MIES of Mitch Hefter Consulting.

Based on an updated version of EE201: Daylight-responsive Lighting Control, a course in NEMA Academy, this article describes a process for designing and applying lighting control solutions that utilize daylight-responsive lighting controls.

At NYControlled, the EdisonReport’s Randy Reid interviewed Steven Zhou, Executive Vice President at mwConnect, about the company’s new Bluetooth NLC-based thermostat.

LightNOW recently published a guest post by Tom Shearer, Commercial Business Development Manager, Lutron Electronics, that makes the case for including lighting controls in upgrade projects, powered by wireless communication.

As lighting control systems become more sophisticated to satisfy increasingly stringent energy codes and evolving project demands, clear documentation has become even more essential. To address this need, the Lighting Controls Academy developed Design Express.

The primary legacy source for general lighting in most school spaces is fluorescent. These can be replaced by LED products for 20 to 60 percent energy savings, greater longevity, controllability, and improved quality of light. A lighting upgrade is the ideal time to install advanced lighting controls to enhance energy savings and flexibility in light levels and color.

In the world of building projects, the Control Intent Narrative (CIN) and Sequence of Operations (SOO) have long been essential and elusive. They define how a lighting control system will function, but too often they arrive late in the process (or not at all), are inconsistent from one project to the next, and are misaligned with energy codes or industry standards. The Lighting Controls Academy set out to change this dynamic with a new resource: Design Express.

In this guest post by Current’s Scott Ziegenfus, he talks about the lighting trends that faded and the ones still going strong.

In this episode of The Lighting Controls Podcast sponsored by MaxLite, hosts C. Webster Marsh and Ron Kuzmar interview Gary Meshberg, Chair of the Lighting Controls Academy, and Legrand’s Harold Jepsen, Vice Chair of the NEMA Lighting Controls Technical Section about the evolving world of lighting controls and a groundbreaking new Control Intent Narrative/Sequence of Operations Tool offered by the Lighting Controls Academy.

Commercial building energy codes regulate the design of nonresidential buildings to minimize energy consumption. While the majority of U.S. states adopt model codes and standards, the State of California developed its own code: Title 24, Part 6 of the state’s Building Standards Code. The latest version was released in 2025 and will take effect January 1, 2026.

“The future of commercial lighting is wireless,” writes Lutron’s Chris Udall. “As control systems evolve, smart wireless solutions are redefining what’s possible.”

On August 28, 2025, from 2-3PM ET, CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER will host a webinar, “Lighting and Lighting Controls: Principles and Practices,” sponsored by Lutron Electronics.

As the market for replacing traditional light sources with LED becomes more challenging, a new market is developing around upgrade of early-generation LED installations. This presents an opportunity to achieve greater energy savings, enhance lighting quality, and integrate advanced lighting controls. Supported by a small number of new commercial lighting rebates that are likely to expand in availability, this trend appears certain to grow.

If you are new to the world of networked lighting controls (NLCs), how do you figure out which solution may be the best for your project among the vast number of control solutions available? There are certain things you can think about to help narrow your search for a system that will meet your needs.

In February 2025, the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) released a new resource to facilitate integration between networked lighting controls (NLC) and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. The NLC-HVAC Integration Toolkit includes tools and guidance applicable to new and existing construction projects. The toolkit’s goal is to support maximized energy savings with integration by ensuring clear project team communication.