In the Driver’s Seat - time to make lighting controls sexy?

There's big money to be made in the smart lighting’ sector - it's worth around $9.5bn, set to grow by over 13% per year to be worth over $18bn in the next five years. This tech isn't just for shiny new buildings - around 40% are retrofit - Smart Lighting Market Analysis by Installation Type (New, Retrofit), Component (Hardware, Software), Source (LED, Fluorescent Lamp, HID Lamp), Connectivity (Wired, Wireless), Application (Indoor, Outdoor) - Global Industry Growth and Demand Forecast to 2030. 

We're used to the sustainability arguments -

• Reduce energy use by 60% or more  - Improving lighting energy efficiency through user response.
• Extend the lifetime of the luminaire - reducing the number of operating hours per day and enabling predictive maintenance
• Optimise other building services and features by delivering data on occupancy and behaviour in real time - desks and meeting room availability, cleaning, catering…

It’s harder to make the case when it comes to human outcomes but there is some good

• Improve comfort and engagement for office workers  Optimized office lighting advances melatonin phase and peripheral heat loss prior bedtime.
• Improved learning outcomes and motivation for students and teachers - Classrooms' indoor environmental conditions affecting the academic achievement of students and teachers in higher education: A systematic literature review.
• Reduced hospital stays, cognitive decline and falls for patients and improved physical and mental health for staff - Do no harm: the beginning of the age of healthy hospital lighting.

We have the technology, we know it works. 

So why is most ‘smart’ lighting so dumb?

In sheer energy terms, office buildings use up to twice as much energy as they say they will on paper - schools gobble up to four times as much - Review of the building energy performance gap from simulation and building lifecycle perspectives: Magnitude, causes and solutions.

The human experience is too often a casualty too. I hosted a panel at Light24 with Paul Nulty, Ravi Lakhani, and Miguel Aguado in a room equipped with 'smart' lighting - a ceiling grid and  two switches marked 'lights' and one marked 'dim' that didn't seem to alter the grim uniformity of the scene.

Some of the takeaways from a lively discussion

Paul Nulty kicked off with admission that lighting designers are part of the problem: Controls may not be sexy or come naturally to someone who considers themselves to be a 'creative' but getting to grips with these technologies are key to a successful client-led result - and profitable long-term relationships. Paul is clear that designers need to go beyond concept sketches to get to grips with the tools and how they integrate with other building services: to build the brief with the client, to understand the functionality and features of all the options (beyond brochures and buttons) and stick around to the end of the project to make sure the original idea is carried through.

Ravi Lakhani pointed out that Smart Building consultants too often get concept drawings from designers that are hard to translate into effective real-world solutions or a quality-led business case that can hold its own against the barrage of data from the HVAC sector which has solid evidence about the human and environmental benefits of focusing a limited budget on better-quality air.  'Too hot' or 'too cold' are the main complaints he hears from his clients- we all understand what that means. But few of us will log a service ticket or make a phone call to complain about uncomfortable lighting - like the conference room where we were meeting - so it doesn't get the attention it should. Ravi is convinced and keen to help. But needs the sector to give him the ammunition he needs. Should we have a dedicated lighting controls standard to give those non-specialist professionals a helping hand? 

Miguel Aguado from Lutron is often at the sharp end of a 'smart' lighting solution gone wrong: on site with his team with no instructions, no time and no budget to do the job properly. He's the one who gets the early morning and late night calls when the system goes wrong and is happy to help: he's clear that after-sales service helps them to stand out in a crowded commodity market. Miguel admitted that lighting controls manufacturers could do better too - they need to work harder to explain what their products do, why it's important to talk to them early in the process - and why they’re worth their weight in gold.  He's clear that education and outreach are key to shifting the dial.

There are guides out there - from the SLL's LG14 to the RIBA's Smart Buildings Overlay. 

But there's still more to do to make smart buildings deliver on the promise for people and planet - a huge commercial opportunity for everyone in the sector, from designers to manufacturers.

I have a feeling this conversation has only just started. 

Will keep you posted!