News from ALG Online
April 2012
Office Daylighting Controls
Photo Credit: Lutron Electronics  

Introducing ALG Connections: As we've said before, the lighting industry moves fast. For every new lighting project or retrofit, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of advanced lighting elements that must be considered. What's more, there's often some new "best practice" to tackle. It can be tricky to know what's relevant to your work. That's why we're unveiling ALG Connections, which will bring timely research, conference reviews, industry trends and technology updates directly to you. This month, read about the latest findings on the energy saving impact of controls from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Learn about proper zoning for effective daylight harvesting in our ALG Chapter Spotlight and check out the latest webinars and events in What's New.  

ALG Connections
Estimates of Energy Savings Potential from Lighting Controls

ALG Connections, April 2012The concept of lighting controls providing energy savings should come as no surprise. Occupancy sensors, tuning and other control strategies just make sense. After all, occupants often desire different light levels from those typically called for in lighting recommendations--and what good is a well-lit office space when no one's in it? That said, it is valuable to know exactly how much energy different control types have been found to actually save. It can help you prioritize energy management or retrofit efforts and select the right control strategy for a given project. This latest research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab reveals new findings about the average savings from specific control strategies including dimmers, switches, photosensors and more. Researchers synthesized results from hundreds of estimates, filtering out biases --and overestimated savings-- in the process and providing a more reliable assessment of energy savings potential. For details, read this month's ALG Connections (PDF).
 
ALG Online's Lighting Controls chapter outlines the basics (goals, codes & standards, etc.), integrated strategies, devices and equipment, digital and wireless control systems, commissioning best practices and more. Read on for detailed updates about control systems and equipment. Not a subscriber? Join now or try 5 days of free access.  
Chapter Spotlight Lighting Control Strategy: Zoning for Daylight Harvesting  

ALG Online's Lighting Controls chapter contains an extensive section devoted to Devices, Systems & Equipment. There's a revolving door of information about new-and-improved systems and equipment, so we've streamlined the latest updates on automatic daylight harvesting to a few key points on zoning.

Zoning is a critical design decision--and poor zoning is one of the most common problems in lighting and control design. The patterns of daylight in a building supplement electric lighting, creating opportunities to save energy through the use of daylight harvesting lighting controls like photosensors. The trick is to identify areas with uniform daylight, or daylight zones, (more reliable with proper daylighting design from the outset) and then establish control zones within daylight zones to control specific luminaires separately from general lighting in the rest of the space. Each control zone should be defined as one or more lamps controlled simultaneously by a single controller. It's helpful to visualize controls zones in a pattern of gradients (of similar characteristics).

Here are six shared characteristics you should use for determining control zones: 
1) task illumination needs, 2) lighting schedules, 3) daylighting conditions, 4) electric lighting systems, 5)  furniture or furnishings and, 6) likely future spatial arrangements   

 

For more details on zoning, daylight harvesting and other lighting controls updates, log in or subscribe now for full access to ALG Online and the Lighting Controls chapter.  

What's New

Don't miss ALG Online authors at LIGHTFAIR International 2012! This year's tradeshow and conference is May 9-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Register now to learn from lighting industry experts like Jim Benya, Nancy Clanton and Craig DiLouie, gather new information, view innovative products and find the latest technical advances from the lighting industry's global leaders.

Join experts from CLTC and the Demand Response Research Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for tomorrow's free webinar on the potential for open automated demand response technologies (OpenADR) in commercial lighting systems. 1-2 p.m. PST Wednesday, April 18. RSVP for more information. 

Interested in Certification for Architectural Lighting Designers? Take this survey to help the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) credentialing task force to assess prospective domains of practice and qualifications for an international architectural lighting design certification. Read more about the task force and survey.

Stay Connected  Like us on Facebook 
About ALG Online
ALG Online has been developed by New Buildings Institute (NBI) as part of its Advanced Buildings® suite of tools and resources to help design teams and other commercial building professionals create high performance commercial buildings.

Thanks to our Advanced Lighting Guidelines Sponsors and Contributors. Without their support and commitment to high performance commercial building, this valuable resource would not be available to the marketplace.
Advanced Buildings & New Buildings Institute logos