Controls

  When I entered Lutron’s booth at LEDucation, I expected to be overwhelmed by endlessly complex control options and a dizzying assortment of products and components. I was wrong. The Lutron booth was a master class in presenting highly technical and complex products in a simple to understand story. Some of the credit goes to [...]

  The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) has released a new NLC-HVAC toolkit to improve collaboration between building operators, lighting professionals, and HVAC engineers. DLC claims integrating networked lighting controls (NLC) with HVAC can save over 20% of the whole building load. The toolkit helps building professionals: Understand the benefits of integrating Networked Lighting Controls (NLC) with [...]

Image: Helvar 5611 Node Link enables hybrid control of Helvar’s wired and wireless lighting control systems. Hybrid wired and wireless lighting controls combine the strengths of both wired and wireless systems to create a flexible, scalable, and efficient lighting solution. This approach integrates traditional hardwired controls with wireless technology, enabling the best of both worlds [...]

The Symphony Tunable White LED Light Bar by évoralight provides versatility and functionality for applications requiring focused, adjustable task or accent lighting. The tunable white light bars have a 16 foot maximum run length, and two available lengths, 10” and 20”. The bars are designed for seamless linkable configurations—enhanced by a variety of compatible corner [...]

  The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) has introduced a new toolkit aimed at enhancing energy savings in commercial buildings by promoting the integration of networked lighting controls (NLC) with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This resource addresses a significant opportunity for energy conservation, as research indicates that integrating lighting controls with HVAC can reduce [...]

Editor’s correction: The original version of this story listed a simple payback calculation based on the project’s cost divided by annual energy cost savings. I’ve since learned the energy savings figures were based on lighting and controls savings only. The HVAC energy savings have not yet been determined for this project, and will require more [...]

  The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) hosted the 2024 DLC Controls Summit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, focusing on the integration of networked lighting controls (NLC) with HVAC systems to unlock further energy savings and reduce carbon emissions. The summit brought together manufacturers, lighting experts, and energy efficiency professionals to discuss strategies and resources for advancing NLC-HVAC integration. [...]

EDGE-TO-CLOUD: Edge-to-cloud in building automation systems is a modern computing paradigm that integrates edge devices with centralized cloud infrastructure to optimize building operations and management. This approach combines the benefits of edge computing’s real-time processing capabilities with the cloud’s scalability and advanced analytics. In building automation systems, edge-to-cloud architecture consists of several key components: Edge [...]

  TDK Corporation has launched full-scale production of its InvenSense SmartSonic ICU-30201 ultrasonic time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, in January 2025. This sensor enhances contextual awareness for various applications requiring accurate presence, proximity, and distance measurements, including robotics, drones, alarm devices, door locks, camera devices, and other smart building systems such as lighting. Its enhanced maximum range, [...]