Specialty and Architectural Lighting — Controls

When it comes to saving energy, OFF always wins. Lighting is no exception. At work, when you head to a meeting in a conference room that is used maybe three hours a day, are the lights already on even if you are the first to arrive, or, do they automatically...

When new LED lamps are used to replace traditional light sources or LED fixtures are part of a retrofit project, an important but often overlooked issue that must to addressed is the compatibility of existing controls. Lighting is a system. The light source is one component. Ballasts, transformers, dimmers, occupancy...

Among all the factors to consider when buying an LED outdoor luminaire – here is another: connected controls. Increasingly, commercial building codes are expanding outdoor lighting requirements to include automatic shutoff and modulated light levels based on occupancy or time of day. This level of control, common for commercial interior lighting,...

It's not uncommon today for an incandescent, halogen or fluorescent light source to be replaced with an LED light source. Many LEDs are made to be direct replacements for traditional light bulbs and fixtures. In some cases, those traditional light sources have been controlled by photocells that are still in...

Photocontrol devices use photocells to determine ON/OFF status of outdoor lighting based on the ambient light level. While generally understood as responding to visible light, some photosensors also respond to infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Normally used for roadway, area, parking, flood and security lighting, photocontrols automatically control the...

Many LED lamps and fixtures on the market today include a dimming capability. While certainly a beneficial feature, often a necessary one, dimming LED lamps can be an adventure unless some basic steps are taken to ensure compatibility between the LED lamp and dimming control. In the world of tungsten...

Time switches, or timers, for lighting control allow for time of day ON and OFF scheduling for individual lights or lighting systems. Generally, time switches work best with outdoor lighting where the time of day, along with sunset and sunrise, determine when lighting is on or off. Indoor applications for...

Someone once wisecracked that the most energy efficient lighting was when the lights were turned OFF. A variation of this clever turn of phrase has become one of the most useful tools to increase building lighting energy efficiency. By automatically controlling the ON/OFF status of lights based on the presence...