In many applications, the overall purpose of the lighting control system is to eliminate waste while providing a productive visual environment. This entails providing:
Control systems provide the right amount of light. This lighting decision is based on the type of tasks being performed in the space. Conventional lighting controls support this goal in two ways.
Advanced lighting controls now have to handle colour and the effects wanted by Architects and Designers.
By enabling the lighting system to deliver the right amount of light to the task, the control system can eliminate energy waste while providing a productive visual environment.
Lighting controls support the lighting system putting light where it’s needed.
This usually entails establishing control zones. These are a light fixture or group of fixtures controlled simultaneously as a single entity by a single controller.
Zones are typically established based on types of tasks to be lighted, lighting schedules, types of lighting systems, architectural finishes/furnishings, and daylight availability.
The smaller the control zone, the greater the precision the control system can provide.
For example, a control system can turn the lights on automatically when a person enters a building during non-operating hours. Only the areas to be used should be lighted, however, and not the entire floor.
A zone can also be as small as single ballast or light fixture. This enables the greatest amount of control resolution. For example, each user in an open office can be given capability via PC or handheld remote to dim his or her own lighting to personal preference.
Generally, the smaller the control zone, the greater the control resolution and potential utility cost savings and the greater the opportunity to enable the lighting system to support visual needs.
Equally, int general, the smaller the control zone the more complex and expensive the final scheme.
An effective control system ensures that the lighting system operates - and consumes energy which costs the owner money - only when it's needed.
Determining when the lighting system should be operating depends on how the space is occupied. This will entail whether a time-based or a threshold event should be the deciding factor in whether the lights should be turned on or shut off.
If occupancy is predictable, a time-based strategy can be considered. For example, a switching system can be scheduled to automatically shut off the lights by area, by floor or in an entire building if a building’s occupancy is predictable.
If occupancy is not predictable, a threshold-event-based strategy can be considered. For example, occupancy sensors can be used to automatically turn on and shut off lights in areas depending on whether the sensor detects the presence or absence of people in the monitored area.
By ensuring the lighting system provides light only when it’s needed, the control system can significantly reduce wasted energy and generate utility cost savings for the owner.