This article lays out what every lighting practitioner needs to know about lighting controls as a professional baseline.

The Lighting Controls Academy has updated its most popular Education Express course, EE101: Introduction to Lighting Controls, now available at NEMA Academy.

The Lighting Controls Academy has published a video version of EE101: Introduction to Lighting Controls, a free course available at YouTube.

Because these devices are relatively simple to install, cost-effective, and widely required by energy codes, occupancy sensing is a staple in new construction projects, renovations, and many lighting upgrades.

The Lighting Controls Academy has published a video version of EE102A: Occupancy and Vacancy Sensors, a free Education Express course available at YouTube.

In this article published at DataCenterDynamics.com, Ton van de Wiel, Global Segment Manager, Intelligent Buildings for Signify, makes a case for DC-powered lighting in data centers, including lighting connected in a distributor sensor network.

For years, commercial lighting rebates followed a simple formula: upgrade to LED, reduce energy use, and collect an incentive. That approach still works, but it’s no longer the full story, says rebate fulfillment firm BriteSwitch. As more markets reach LED saturation, utilities are shifting their focus toward deeper energy savings with lighting controls.

ASHRAE and the IES recently published ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2025, Energy Efficiency Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. What’s new in this key energy standard?

“As commercial buildings transition into smart, connected environments, clients are increasingly demanding lighting control systems that are data-rich, reliable, and easily scalable. While digital protocols are the clear future, the North American market has often hesitated to move away from familiar 0-10V analog systems due to fears of proprietary vendor lock-in or overly complex programming. By adding the globally standardized DALI-2 protocol to the WaveLinx ecosystem, Cooper Lighting Solutions has eliminated these barriers.”

The Lighting Controls Academy is pleased to announce it has updated its popular Education Express course, EE102A: Occupancy and Vacancy Sensors, now available at NEMA Academy.

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.