Lighting is entering a new age of innovation and it will change the way we live, work and play. It is leading to intelligent buildings, homes, and cities and it will be connecting to data and that, in turn, will bring about new possibilities for how we use it.
According to Intelligent Lighting Controls for Commercial Buildings from Navigant Research, global networked lighting controls revenue is expected to grow from $2.2 billion in 2015 to $4.8 billion in 2024. The study examines sensors, relays, switches, ballasts, drivers, network control gear, network services, and communications technologies, with a specific focus on networked lighting controls.
To meet the growing demand for lighting control systems, different types of vendors have moved into the lighting controls market. Leading the innovative side of this move are startup companies that are creating new ways to visualize lighting usage and devise strategies to manage lighting energy consumption. Additionally, the large, traditional lighting companies are offering a range of lighting control products. Finally, the established building controls companies have also been expanding their capabilities to include lighting controls along with other building control systems.
How it Happened
How did the demand for lighting control systems happen? It started with better LEDs and lower-cost sensors, wireless transmitters and microprocessors. The result is rapidly increasing adoption, particularly in the commercial sector where LED installations and retrofits are taking place in supermarkets and department stores, banks, office buildings, hotels, restaurants, arenas, warehouses and many other types of facilities.
At the same time, advances in electronics and manufacturing have ushered in a new generation of much smaller, more powerful, less expensive wireless sensors, transmitters and processors that easily integrate with LED lights, which operate as semiconductors.
This convergence of lighting intelligence and infrastructure has far-ranging implications. For example, networked LED street lights will have the ability to direct automobile drivers to available spaces with the help of built-in image sensors and wireless transceivers. It could also provide warnings or instructions across a public address speaker concealed within the light post.
The use of wireless microprocessors could move cities toward a metered instead of flat-rate tariff for its streetlight energy usage with its local utility company. Office buildings and high rises can also capitalize on LEDs to connect lights and sensors to each other and to a building’s IT network. The result can be location-specific data on room occupancy, amount of daylight, temperature, humidity and other variables.
As with sensors and transmitters, lighting processors are becoming more sophisticated and less costly, and widespread commercial adoption remains only a matter of time. For example, Title 24 of the California Energy Commission’s efficiency standards mandates the use of lighting processors in some new buildings. Enacted in 2013, it is among the first pieces of legislation of its kind.
Integrated microprocessors can simultaneously manage heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC). An intelligent office might know to automatically dim lights on a sunny day to limit wasteful energy use or turn down the heat in a crowded conference room to keep occupants comfortable.
Light is even changing the way we experience retail stores. Indoor location technology is making it possible for lights to “talk” to shoppers by leveraging LED modulation. This pattern, while imperceptible to the human eye, can be detected by the cameras on smartphones and tablets, meaning LED fixtures with embedded sensors can pinpoint a customer’s exact location in a store (of course the customer would need to opt in and be using the retailer’s app on a mobile device).
Beyond the retail industry, lighting-based indoor positioning systems also could see application in airports, hotels, hospitals and many other environments where it is beneficial to know one’s exact location. And let’s not forget about where we live. It is now possible to manage the lighting in your home from anywhere in the world. Intelligent LED bulbs that can be controlled via smartphone (also see GE Link light bulbs) are now available for about $15. These fit standard sockets and connect to a central hub in the house ($30 to $60 extra), allowing individual or group control of dimming and scheduling.
In time, bulbs could even be ‘taught’ to respond to an individual’s presence or a change in light level thanks to learning algorithms that record and recall personal preferences.
Where Lighting Shines Next
Today, advanced lighting networks and controls, including tunable lights that mimic natural colors and rhythms, can transform the way people work, live, play and even sleep. The Lumina Project is dedicated to engaging and promoting targeted lighting design and technology within the lighting industry. The project was a contribution to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 2015 International Year of Light. It aims to facilitate discussion, debate and insights that will help advance the lighting industry’s role in transforming our buildings and cities into intelligent, high-performing, and healthy ecosystems.
Numerous studies show that the appropriate application of dimming and color shifting can improve circadian rhythms, mood, visual acuity and performance, as well as reduce energy use. Examples from Human Centric Lighting Society include nature scene lensed solid state lighting fixtures to help improve moods.
Human-centric lighting or healthy lighting is intended to promote a person’s well-being, mood and health. Incorrect lighting from the wrong angles or in the wrong color disrupts natural abilities to be productive and happy. Common lighting problems in homes, offices and other facilities include insufficient light, glare, improper contrast and poorly distributed light.
Over-lighting at night also can have negative effects on our entire ecosystem. According to the International Dark-Sky Association, extreme night lighting has been linked with increased incidences of hypertension, attention deficit disorder, obesity and diabetes, and has been shown to disrupt circadian rhythms in all living creatures.
By contrast, human-centric lighting—including systems that leverage control dynamics and color temperatures—has been shown to have positive effects on people as well as profits. Control dynamics mimic the natural rhythm of night and day. According to Philips, these systems can stimulate well-being and help humans feel alert by changing the color temperature and intensity of light automatically throughout the day. This will lead to lighting solutions that adapt to needs over the long term. Finally, these adaptive lighting tools and technologies will enable buildings to become dynamic ecosystems and more business opportunities.