4 Ways Colleges Underutilize Networked Lighting Controls 

Learn where you may be missing out on savings and how you can future proof your campus 

Networked lighting control systems are typically underutilized in a university’s cost saving measures. It is so much more than standalone or discreet, room-based lighting. Systems integration facilitates efficiencies across a campus building network affecting budget, time, effort, and energy. Your networked lighting control system (NLCS) not only improves day-to-day facility maintenance and creates comfortable and dynamic environments, but it helps you understand building performance, through the data collected, to make improvements. But you can't do it without first getting a handle on the electrical system. Knowing how to interpret the data collected from the electrical system prepares a campus for greater activity in a net zero future. Investing in a NLCS and fully utilizing its integration capabilities allows for a more analytical and data-driven approach to building management, maximizing efficiencies, and lowering costs. 
 

1. Standalone Lighting Controls and LED vs Networked Lighting Controls 

Many campuses have undergone LED retrofitting and upgraded lighting controls to reduce energy consumption. However, occupancy control, daylight harvesting, and dimming are only a fraction of the capabilities of a lighting control system. Networked lighting control systems (NLCS) can optimize building system management, enhance maintenance schedules, assist troubleshooting, and identify trends in space usage. 

Standardized networked lighting controls across campus deliver facility-specific results for energy usage in terms of lighting loads but are also integral to optimizing and customizing other building systems.  Seamless integration of facility systems within a campus-wide building management system provides the ability to layer control strategies for maximum energy savings, programmable and automatic operation, wireless connectivity across a space, building or with other building systems, software-based control zoning and rezoning, and valuable measuring and monitoring.  

While wireless NLCSs have immediate cost savings due to reduced installation and materials cost, both wired and wireless systems provide savings over the life of the system. Benefits of both include quicker and easier commissioning times because teams don’t have to physically walk into a room and troubleshooting can be done remotely without boots on the ground. Additionally, the ability to customize sequence of operations (SoO) to the specific building’s purpose and the way occupants use lighting controls provides a valuable way to future-proof spaces.  For example, the global COVID pandemic required professors to re-think their classroom design, with asynchronous learning experiences in mind. This evolved the relevant pre-set lighting scenes in a classroom from focusing on in-person student interactions to only highlighting one presenting professor. Customizing SoO also has energy management implications once you understand load profiles of spaces on your campus. 

2. Gain Savings with Integrating Networked Lighting Controls  

Data collected by LCS sensors communicates with the building management system (BMS) to inform efficient operation of other building systems, saving time, money, energy, and effort. "Treating LED and NLC as a system can improve cost effectiveness, since the NLC lifetime savings increase by 22%, and can limit the risk of stranding savings when LED is installed without controls. Additionally, combining LED and NLC enables integration with other building systems (e.g., HVAC), which can deliver even greater savings," (Mellinger 2019). Networked lighting controls add to savings with power metering, air quality control, preventive maintenance, and cleaning schedules.  
 
In terms of space optimization, sensors take in data showing a space, such as a classroom, laboratory, or common area is unused and therefore the lights can be shut off, the HVAC to that space can be shut off, and the facility manager can update cleaning schedules to skip that space. Wireless systems allow for futureproofing and future savings by allowing reprogramming of protocols without rewiring and disruption to previously installed controls. 

3. Creating the Foundation for Becoming a NetZero Campus 

Universities and colleges have shown themselves to be leaders in reducing energy consumption with plans that have been in motion for decades in some cases. With more university and college systems setting goals to reduce energy consumption and effectively becoming net zero campuses, LEDs play a key role in the plan by reducing W/sq ft. More energy efficient devices with built-in power management reduce overall electricity pull from those devices when in use. However, many devices such as computers, monitors, office equipment, vending machines, coffee makers, etc. continue to draw power when plugged in or in standby mode, causing plug loads to be the real energy consumer today.  
 
Depending on the space and the devices contained and used in them, plug load energy consumption can be significant factors in energy budgets. Understanding the energy consumption over time (load profile) of classrooms, lecture halls, study areas, libraries, gyms, etc. enables the development and deployment of energy management strategies. One of those strategies being adjustment of the networked lighting control system SoO in a space to facilitate reduced energy use. 
 
Sensors used in a NLCS collect a multitude of data such as lighting levels, lighting loads, shade position, temperature, CO2, humidity, sound levels, bodies in the space, and more. With the correct type of sensors appropriately positioned, the amount of data and different types of data collected can be overwhelming, which is why an aggregation and analytical tool is necessary to extract value from the sensors. Easily derive the number of people using the space during specific times frames, spatial use patterns (continuously used spaces vs. sparingly used spaces), measure temperature or CO2 changes that trigger more or less airflow into a space, light levels based on the amount of daylighting and reflectance, etc. to intelligently update the sequence of operations in a space on campus. 
 
Smart, high performance and customizable campuses tie the data collected by the sensors to building performance. Three things have made it easier to narrow in on capabilities within campus buildings to achieve overarching net zero goals:
 

• Technological advances in the areas of increased control granularity, increased sensor availability, use and diversity of inputs, pervasive communication through wireless networks, and more affordable computation 
• The digitalization of data tracking allows information to be collected in a meaningful way instead of tracking it in an excel sheet, for example. 
• IoT progression where we evolve from standalone lighting controls such as identifying that a lighting control exists, and it turns on and off to the lighting control exists and responds to a schedule and then, further, it responds to a more complex algorithm in relation to something else such as weather, daylight, or occupancy. Finally, the algorithm to which the lighting control system responds is related to a performance metric: space utilization, occupant comfort or satisfaction, or people density management. 

A simplified example would be that the elevator is communicating with the lighting control system, which is communicating with the HVAC system, telling the system that people are on the elevator coming to a particular floor, so turn on the lights and make the zone temperature comfortable. 
 

4. Electrical System Fundamental to Net-Zero Campuses  

Ultimately, electrical system data is the pathway to net-zero energy campus, so integrating a networked lighting control system now sets your campus up to realize further savings on the journey to a high-performance building. The value of incorporating networked lighting controls on a campus include:
 

• Visibility into energy use and the ability to make changes to increase efficiency and reduce usage 
• Occupant comfort and satisfaction 
• Living and dynamic future-proofed building 

 Electrical system sensors are small, but robust, providing multiple pieces of data from a sensor the size of a quarter. But they are the data backbone to the value obtained from a connected campus. The sheer amount of data collected can overwhelm facilities teams, energy managers, and administrative teams. Having a software program from the same organization as the sensors that are used makes interpreting the collected data into impactful and actionable steps more manageable and efficient, not to mention the continuity and reliability of using systems built for each other.  
​​​​​​​
Investing in and fully integrating a networked lighting control system sets a campus up to realize more potential cost savings across their building management system than is typically actualized without system integration. Doing so improves day-to-day facility maintenance and creates comfortable and dynamic environments, as well as helps to understand building performance through the data collected. Analyzing the data collected by lighting control sensors further maximizes campus energy efficiency and building performance, setting it up to achieve net zero status. With the right expertise, tools, and support, you can gain the savings and efficiencies desired while future-proofing your campus. The campuses of tomorrow will be populated by smart, high-performance buildings that seamlessly interact with the people, systems, and external elements surrounding them (Hollenkamp 2021).  
 

References 

Hilton, K. (2021, December 17). Getting the smarts on smart buildings. AV Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.avinteractive.com/features/technology/getting-smarts-smart-buildings-17-12-2021/ 

Hollenkamp, D. (2021, December 13). How smart lighting technology creates a brighter future ... LEDs Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.ledsmagazine.com/blogs/article/14222244/how-smart-lighting-technology-creates-a-brighter-future-for-smart-buildings 

Mellinger, D. (2020, May 15). LEDs & networked lighting controls: Maximizing Adoption, savings potential. HPB Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.hpbmagazine.org/leds-networked-lighting-controls-maximizing-adoption-savings-potential/ 
​​​​​​​
U.S. General Services Administration. (2017, August 13). Plug Load Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). GSA. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from https://www.gsa.gov/governmentwide-initiatives/federal-highperformance-green-buildings/resource-library/energy-water/plug-loads/plug-load-frequently-asked-questions-faq