Intelligent Power Today Magazine

Strategies for reducing lighting use without compromising productivity

BY BRIAN DAUSKURDAS, Lutron Electronics

Industrial spaces such as warehouses and storage facilities, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), make up 12 percent of all commercial buildings, and lighting typically accounts for an average of 37 percent of the building’s electricity use. To reduce operating costs without sacrificing light quality or diminishing worker productivity, lighting control strategies can be combined to deliver efficient, high-performance results.

Occupancy sensing, high-end trim (or institutional tuning), and dimming can be used in virtually any industrial space to save energy. In spaces with large windows, daylight harvesting can be added to automatically adjust electric light levels when daylight provides enough ambient light for the tasks being performed, and scheduling is an effective strategy in spaces that are not operating round-the-clock. According to a researcher from Georgian College in Ontario, facilities can often realize lighting electricity...