As traditional lighting fixtures, such as incandescent and fluorescent are no longer manufactured, LEDs with smart lighting controls have become increasingly appealing for building owners and property managers. With a wide variety of controls, a decrease in maintenance needed, and great aesthetic appeal, it might seem like LEDs would end up soaring over budget. However, smart LED systems actually end up saving building owners money in the long-run. In this guide, we'll go through the variety of lighting programs available with LEDs that illuminate your building without hurting your wallet.
Daylight harvesting, also known as daylight sensing, is a program that works with natural sunlight to adjust the level of lighting throughout the day. This program saves energy and thus brings down energy bills for building owners. By measuring the natural sunlight that's coming into your space during different times of day, sensors will calculate how much dimming needs to happen in order to keep the same amount of light all day long. The lights change very slowly over time in order to not be particularly noticeable to those who use your space. For flexibility, building owners and property managers are able to adjust the speed at which the lights change. This program works great for spaces where there are a lot of windows and natural light, such as:
The lighting can also adjust based on zones. For example, the center of a classroom is going to receive less natural light than window seats, so the LEDs will be stronger in the center.
The primary goal of motion sensors is to turn light on and off automatically. In its most basic form, motions sensors will sense when there are people in the room or space and have lights on when occupied and off when vacant. Using smart controls, property managers can also set a specific time after the last motion was detected to turn lights off or to start the dimming process. In areas such as parking garages, in order to make people feel safe, keeping the lights on is important. With smart LED systems, motion sensors can be programmed to start dimming after a certain amount of time, but still stay on at a low level for safety. At our PORT facility, adding in motion-sensing lights has been successful at lessening energy costs.
For smart LED systems, there are often utility rebates or tax incentives available for building owners. These all vary and depend on the utility provider. We recommend starting a conversation with us (or the utility provider you choose) about what incentives and rebates are available for you. This will help you understand the financial payback of installing smart LED systems. The payback timing is also determined by the type of controls and if the lights have dimming ability. If you are installing fixtures and smart LED systems, then the payback is dependent on how much energy you are saving. For example, if you are going from a 5 watt to 1 watt LED, the payback is going to be sooner. The average is around three to seven years.
One common "myth" about lighting controls is that they don't work to bring bills down. This occurs when those who are using the lights don't understand how the lighting controls work. For example, if the controls are set to change at a quicker time, then people will notice the lights dimming and feel inclined to turn them fully on, despite the fact that they are not losing any light. It all comes down to the education on how the system operates. It's important for the people who use the lights on a daily basis to be educated on how the system works.
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