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

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.

The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) has released an innovative resource designed to boost energy savings in the commercial building sector by encouraging the integration of networked lighting controls (NLC) with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Research shows that adding NLCs to commercial lighting upgrades can cut a project’s new lighting load in half. Taking [...]

In this article, Gary Meshberg, Market Development Specialist, Building Control Systems for Legrand North America and Chair of the Lighting Controls Association, describes the growing opportunity for integration between lighting control and other building systems, notably the BAS.

This year, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 2024 Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC) recognized two organizations for exhibiting exemplary support for market adoption of integrated lighting upgrade solutions that generate significant energy savings and create more comfortable, productive, and environmentally responsible spaces. Along with 16 organizations recognized for projects, the LCA was recognized on August 16, 2024 at the IES annual conference.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 2024 Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC) recognized 16 organizations for exemplary commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility in their buildings and outdoor spaces, highlighting projects that exemplify showcase effective lighting upgrades involving systems integration.

This article by David Shiller at LightNOW digs into the Light Solutions Application Guide from Autani-LiteTrace and provides a quick overview of the company’s system’s approach and capabilities.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the pleasure of interviewing Stephen Zhou, Executive Vice President, mwConnect, for an upcoming article about lighting control trends for tED Magazine, the official publication of the NAED. Here’s the transcript.

Hosted by Steve Roe, Vice President of Controls at Acuity Brands, Roe with Controls is a monthly series of videos in which Steve discusses a new topic that impacts the lighting and lighting controls industry and then shares insights and thoughts based on his experience.

If you missed LEDucation 2024 or want to revisit some of the presentations, you’re in luck–LEDucation offers an archive at its website.

Interested in learning more about luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLC)? Check out this webinar based on the Lighting Controls Association’s LLLC course, one of the most popular courses in the organization’s Education Express program.

“Today, a fresh lighting design is really a lighting and controls design,” writes Acuity’s Steve Roe in this guest post. “Fortunately, leading manufacturers created a tool for lighting specifiers to do it all based on a simple formula: put the controls within the luminaire (light fixture).”

By Steve Mesh This article on emergency lighting and controls was very much a collaborative effort. Many experts in the field—including Rick Miller, Craig DiLouie, and several manufacturers—provided extremely valuable input in reviewing and fact-checking the content. Egress and emergency lighting are critical elements of building design. During periods of occupancy, a clear, unobstructed path [...]

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has published a short guide to plug load control and why it should be a common feature of commercial building energy codes.

Here’s the scenario: you are a lighting controls designer working on a project with a BAS that uses BACnet…

Join the Seattle-based Smart Buildings Center for the free 2022 Smart Buildings Exchange (SBX) to be held virtually and in-person August 22-24, 2022.

In an article recently published in SMART BUILDINGS TECHNOLOGY, LightSPEC Director Clifton Stanley Lemon talks to industry experts about intelligent buildings are the future, while taking a look at current issues with integrating smart building controls.

The Lighting Controls Association now offers EE302, Part 4: Luminaire-Level Lighting Controls (LLLC) as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

Luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLC), also called embedded controls, are lighting control systems in which sensors and controllers are installed within luminaires to enable autonomous, individual luminaire control. By making each luminaire a control point, control is highly flexible, responsive, and therefore generally more energy-saving. Serving as a preview for an upcoming Education Express course, this article describes LLLC technology, system types, advantages and disadvantages, studies characterizing energy savings and cost, and what’s familiar and distinctive in regards to design and installation.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will host a Zoom webinar, “Better Together: Integrating Plug Load Management Into Lighting and Building Management Systems” on March 22 at 1PM ET.

In this special controls-related “Conversation” podcast series launched by Get a Grip on Lighting and hosted by C. Webster Marsh, Marsh talks to Ron Kuszmar, who oversees Port’s Architectural and Theatrical Lighting Design & Installation departments, as well as the company’s Lighting Control Systems and Equipment Sales team.

The Department of Energy’s Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC), sponsored by the Lighting Controls Association and other organizations, is introducing new participant and supporter categories for 2022. The categories reflect new priorities and a focus on equity and deployment, while continuing to recognize participants for exemplary projects in connected lighting systems under the original categories.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Integrated Lighting Campaign (ILC) recently interviewed C. Webster Marsh of Penumbra Controls, a lighting controls specialist and frequent contributor to the Lighting Controls Association site.

Unless you’ve been living on a deserted South Pacific island prior to March 2020, you know that COVID has been the biggest issue facing mankind in the past year and a half.  You also know that lots of people, governments and industries have developed methodologies and technology to mitigate the effects and spread of COVID. What do these things mean for lighting control?

Lighting industry journalist and educator Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the opportunity to interview David Buerer, Director of Product Management, Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc. for an article about plug load control, which will be published in the October 2021 issue of tED Magazine, the official publication of the NAED. Transcript follows.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently announced the publication of two updated guides and a Better Buildings Alliance (BBA) Beat Blog on controlling plug and process loads.

With increasing frequency, lighting control systems are tasked to interoperate with other building systems such as building automation systems (BAS) to share information and automate building functionality. Ensuring communication and smooth interoperability is called integration, a potentially challenging undertaking during a project. This is the topic of a new Education Express course developed for the Lighting Controls Association by C. Webster Marsh, HLB Lighting Design.

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) now offers EE115: Integration and Building Automation as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

This article, based on the Lighting Controls Association’s new Education Express course EE202: Automatic Plug Load Control, provides an overview of approaches used to automatically control plug loads in commercial buildings.

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) now offers EE202: Automatic Plug Load Control as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP recently had the opportunity to interview David Buerer, Director of Product Management, Leviton, for an article for tED Magazine on the topic of nonresidential lighting control protocols.

The TALQ Consortium reveals in a White Paper recently published a whitepaper detailing insights into its global interface standard and certification scheme for managing smart city applications including outdoor lighting networks.

Below is Craig DiLouie, LC’s contribution to the March 2017 issue of tED Magazine. Reprinted with permission. The lighting controls revolution features three notable trends promoting integration of control with light. The latest commercial building energy codes promote complex control schemes. The LED source is highly controllable. And sensors and microprocessors have become miniaturized. Just [...]

The Northwest Lighting Network recently published an article about the potential of luminaire-integrated lighting controls. From the article: While traditional lighting control strategies can yield considerable benefits, Luminaire Level Lighting Controls (LLLC) show promise of both easier installation and commissioning and deeper energy savings beyond other lighting controls. And: The Design Lights Consortium will publish [...]

Given current adoption of commercial building energy codes, conventional wisdom indicates that LED lighting is frequently specified with automatic lighting controls. However, there is little public data available concerning market penetration of LED lighting, how often it is specified as controllable and with lighting controls, owner preferences, and how satisfied specifiers and installers are with [...]

Outdoor lighting controls is undergoing a mini-revolution that offers new design and selling opportunities while challenging electrical professionals to stay on top of technological change. Traditionally, outdoor lighting control was relatively simple. A typical scheme featured a controller providing automatic ON/OFF based on time of day (using an astronomical time switch) or daylight (photosensor). The [...]

With efficacy and service life steadily increasing and costs declining by about 18 percent each year (Memoori, 2014), the LED revolution continues to develop at a rapid pace. LED’s inherent compatibility with digital control, aided by other trends, is setting the stage for the next LED revolution: smart lighting control. Many LED products are sold [...]

The Illuminating Engineering Society, in partnership with the Lighting Controls Association, has published LEM-7, Lighting Controls for Energy Management, a detailed guide to energy-saving lighting controls. The publication was written by Craig DiLouie, LC in support of the IES Energy Management Committee. The 48-page 8.5×11 guide, which is available for $35 (IES members) and $50 [...]

The Illuminating Engineering Society’s TM-23-11 publication serves as a technical resource for lighting specifiers integrating control into their projects, providing detailed information about lighting control protocols. Get it here.