Visitors to institutional or commercial properties often see the visible part of the lighting revolution: rows of light-emitting diode (LED) luminaires. What is less obvious yet far more consequential for maintenance and engineering managers for the next decade is that the most significant gains come from what visitors do not see: software, sensors and sequences that determine when, where and how those LEDs operate. In other words, lighting in 2025 is a system.
That system has three pillars. First, sensing technology — from passive infrared to dual-technology — detects when people and daylight are present in each space. Second, networked lighting controls (NLC) coordinate data from sensors and from preprogrammed schedules to deliver light only when and where it is needed. Third, emergency lighting protects egress when problems arise. Together, these components help managers achieve energy reductions of 50-80 percent, improved comfort and enhanced safety.
LEDs significantly reduce electrical loads, and adding controls compounds those savings.
“LED retrofits regularly achieve 50 percent or more energy savings over legacy lighting,” says Levin Nock, senior technical manager at the nonprofit DesignLights Consortium (DLC). “By adding networked lighting controls (NLC) to any lighting retrofit project, the new lighting load can be further reduced.”
In DLC’s 2020 analysis of 194 buildings, luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLC) featuring sensors and radios embedded in each fixture reduced the post-LED lighting energy use by an average of 63 percent. Other NLC configurations delivered about 35 percent savings on that same post-LED baseline.
Slipstream, another nonprofit, found similar enterprise-wide energy savings in lighting demonstration projects across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
“Lighting accounts for about 22 percent of commercial buildings’ electricity consumption, and electricity consumption accounts for about 64 percent of the DoD’s facility energy bill, recalls Scott Schuetter, P.E., principal engineer with Slipstream. “Initial field testing of the retrofit system found up to 93 percent energy reduction over existing lighting systems — high-bay — and 43 percent over existing uncontrolled LED solutions.”
From a broader perspective, the takeaway is that undertaking an LED conversion is the best opportunity to incorporate lighting controls. The next big bucket of savings comes from granular choices, such as wireless versus wired, the mix and placement of sensors, a precise sequence of operations and whether commissioning and training are treated as integral rather than optional.
For years, the barrier to upgrading controls in existing buildings was practical: opening ceilings to run low-voltage cable. With LLLC, communication and sensing are integrated into each luminaire, making many retrofits far less intrusive.
“Wireless LLLC systems are easy to install in existing buildings, and since each luminaire has a sensor, the system has built-in redundancy, so one failed sensor doesn’t leave a zone dark or always on,” Nock says.
Retrofit projects benefit in similar ways.
“Renovations are a chance to combine wireless networks with individually addressable fixtures, virtually zoning rooms in software while meeting code-required sensor coverage, provided the team coordinates dimming types early to avoid incompatibilities,” says Philip Terry, P.E., engineering practice leader at HOK, a design and engineering firm.
Hardware is only the beginning.
“Commissioning starts with well-written specifications and a sequence of operations. Light fixtures are confirmed, grouped, and tested to ensure dimming is operational. Only then can a sequence of operations be finalized,” says Tom Kaczkowski, principal and director of lighting design at HOK.
Managers should expect to revisit scenes after move-in as occupants settle into real patterns.
“Day one lighting control settings typically need adjustment on day two or two months out,” he says. “It is crucial to train the owner’s facilities staff on lighting controls.”
Beyond the technical specifications lies an organizational reality: Owners inherit a vendor relationship and a skills burden. Writing a lighting control concept strategy — one that reconciles codes, such as ASHRAE 90.1 with the way each zone will actually be used — up front keeps ambitions aligned with staff capacity. Building-wide visibility is valuable. Room-by-room micromanagement from a head-end is often more granular than teams can sustain.
Joel Williams is a freelance writer based in Frankfort, Illinois.
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