Utilizing lighting controls can have a number of benefits for both occupants and building owners, such as increasing employee productivity and reducing costs and preventing repairs.

Below, Mandeep Khera of Daintree Networks explains how building owners and property managers can use lighting control systems to reduce energy costs and increase building efficiency.

What steps should a building owner or property manager take to have a lighting control system put in place?

For existing buildings, the first step that a building owner or property manager needs to take is to do an audit of existing infrastructure. This includes what types of lighting are already in place, as well as existing HVAC, fans and other energy-consuming devices.

Second, they should define goals for having a lighting control system in place, such as savings in utility bills, operational efficiencies, occupant comfort and code compliance. They should then decide whether adjusting lighting is suitable or other measures should be taken as well.

Once the goal is established, a team of people, including a project manager, should be created to move the project forward. Since most of these projects involve upfront investment with a payback period of one to three years, a clear budget needs to be established and approved by the management team.

Following the creation of goals and budgets, owners and managers should evaluate different technologies in order to understand which will be optimal for the environment. For example, having a wireless system can make installation and commissioning much easier than a wired system. Similarly, some systems are lighting-centric only, while others can provide functionality beyond lighting, including thermostat, plug-load and carbon dioxide sensors.

There should also be a process for ongoing management. Energy management is not a one-time event but an ongoing discipline. Technology allows manager to make decisions to adjust ongoing energy settings, but owners need to manage these variables. Either an owner can be an internal stakeholder, or it can be outsourced to a technology vendor. For new construction, these requirements have to be defined in the specifications upfront at the time of the design.

What are the benefits of having an automated lighting system?

• Energy savings: one of the main benefits of having an automated lighting control system is that energy savings can exceed 70 per cent.
• Operational efficiencies: lighting control can help achieve significant operational efficiencies. For example, by detecting non-operational lights proactively, loss of business can be avoided in consumer-driven companies. This happens when a company’s sign light is out, causing consumers to think the business is closed. Similarly, proactive maintenance can save money on costly last-minute repairs.
• Code compliance: codes such as ASHRAE and California’s Title 24 are requiring energy management technologies to be in place to reduce energy waste.
• Occupant comfort: lighting and other energy controls can make a difference in occupant comfort, which can improve employee productivity. For example, some systems can help provide granular or zonal controls for lighting and thermostats, which can be specific to an individual or individuals without disturbing other occupants in the area.

What different strategies can building owners and property managers use to meet the specific lighting needs of their tenants?

If a building owner has a lease agreement with an all-inclusive rate for tenants, there isn’t an incentive for tenants to move forward with a lighting control system. In these cases, tenants might be interested in a solution if building owners is willing to share the savings resulting from an energy management solution. Tenants might also be interested in the occupant benefits of task tuning and security provided by such solutions.

If tenants pay for utilities separately, then it is easier to justify having a lighting control system. However, due to the upfront cost of these lighting control systems, tenants may not be keen to make this investment. Building owners or property managers could offer a financing option where the upfront investment can be amortized over two to three years.

Mandeep Khera is vice-president of marketing and channels for Daintree Networks. Khera has more than two decades of experience in marketing and sales in enterprise software, software-as-a-service, cloud, big data analytics and security.