Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008 - (Page 16)

M/E Roundtable Follow the light Our panel discusses the current state of lighting controls technology, codes and standards, and the benefits of energy-efficient lighting controls. BY MICHAEL IVANOVICH, Editor-in-Chief, PATRICK LYNCH, Associate Editor PARTICIPANTS C S E : Beyond ASHR AE 90.1 and ICC’s International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), what is driving the growth of lighting controls in the United States? Craig DiLouie: The green building movement, emerging evidence linking personal lighting control and productivity, and energy conservation are driving growth of lighting controls in the United States. The green design movement, for example, has put daylighting back into construction’s mainstream, resulting in new opportunities to save energy using daylighting control strategies. Studies of personal lighting control indicate that workers are more satisfied when they can dim or otherwise control their own lighting conditions; meanwhile, the flexibility of controls can contribute strongly to workplace strategies such as hoteling and hot-desking. Finally, energy conservation is accelerating demand for lighting controls across the board. As an energy-intensive nation, we are constantly in need of new generating capacity, with the often cheaper alternative being to use less energy. Technology and energy codes have virtually squeezed all of the available wattage out of lamps and ballasts, which is why policy makers are increasingly turning to energy, not power density, as a key policy metric, and favoring controls in the latest codes. Siva Haran: Energy Policy Act (EPACT) 2005 and other utility rebates provide incentives in terms of tax deductions or rebates to people who make investments in energy-efficient measures. These measures include lighting controls. Commissioning, load shedding, and energy monitoring are other areas where lighting controls will play a significant role in the near future. Results of lighting research show there is considerable improvement in produc- Craig DiLouie Education Director, Lighting Controls Assn., Rosslyn, Va. Siva K. Haran, PE, LC, LEED AP, Chief Electrical Engineer/ Director of Lighting, RTM and Assocs., South Barrington, Ill. Rodrigo Manriquez, IALD, LC, IESNA, Principal, Senior Lighting Designer, SmithGroup Detroit James Wise, PhD Sustainability Coordinator Dept. of Energy, Richland, Wash. tivity, performance, comfort, and well-being of human beings when they are provided with personal controls for lighting in the spaces. This increases the demand for personal controls. Dimming controls are growing because they increase the aesthetic appeal of a space. Also, with the advent of new technologies like LED and their ease of controllability, there is going to be big demand for lighting controls. Rodrigo Manriquez: Beyond [U.S. Green Building Council] LEED, I believe that sustainability, in the general sense, is raising awareness of well-integrated design. The sequential days to designing a building are a thing of the past. Owners and tenants alike are driving a wellinformed and keenly aware architect/client relationship that focuses on providing integrated solutions, regardless of someone’s specific contribution to the design process. Controls are an important component. James Wise: Of course, what I’d like to see more of is lighting controls used to enhance and enable users’ experiences and performance within the building. I think there are great opportunities here, with everything ranging from increased safety to better wayfinding, using buildings as teaching tools, and emotional engagement with the building settings. One safety lighting controls application that came out a couple decades ago was called “SALi” (Supplementary Areal Lighting). The idea was that people who parked their cars in an underground or building enclosed parking garage, which can be dangerous places, would go to their floor, punch in the number of the stall where their car was, and this would turn on much brighter overhead areal lights between where they were then and where their car is located. New lighting controls could make this work even better, because it could be largely automated with implanted RFID tags 16 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • DECEMBER 2008

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Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008 Contents Viewpoint News M/E Roundtable ARC Awards New Construction Gold New Construction Silver New Construction Bronze Renovation Gold Renovation Silver A Green Approach to Air Conditioning Systems Turning Down the Lights Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space Gas Technology Pure Power Supplement

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - December 2008

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