Creating the Optimal Experience in Higher Education through Lighting Controls

The lighting controls market is seeing a shift to more advanced control offerings and growth overall. The improved controllability of LEDs over legacy lighting technologies and growth of LEDs has helped drive adoption of lighting controls. Beyond the additional energy savings that lighting controls provide, networked lighting controls are LED-based lighting systems with sensors and controllers that are connected, allowing the devices to communicate and transmit data. This can add value to building occupants and stakeholders by creating an optimal experience. According to Guidehouse Insights’ Market Data: Intelligent Lighting Controls report, networked lighting control revenue is expected to grow at a 13.6% compound annual growth rate in North America across all commercial building types, reaching an estimated $3.1 billion by 2026. 

Networked lighting controls can appear to be a complex landscape to navigate, with various groups involved in the design, installation, and commission processes. In higher education, multiple stakeholders must support facility improvement decisions, which can increase confusion around the decisions. Here, challenges with operations and maintenance, a lack of specialized expertise, the need for internal training, and staffing shortages create immediate headaches for administrators and facilities managers. Because of these challenges, the technical support provided to institutions after installation becomes a key factor in guiding the decision makers in higher education when selecting lighting control suppliers.

Understanding the Benefits

Despite the perception of a complex landscape and potential challenges relating to operations and maintenance, decision makers at universities and colleges understand the broad benefits of lighting controls: cost savings, energy savings, and sustainability. Long-term cost savings due to increased energy efficiency gained through a lighting controls deployment help the bottom line of a college or university and allow decision makers to meet both budget-focused and sustainability goals. While functionalities of lighting control systems vary, a control system allowing remote access can provide facility management the ability to adjust lighting from various locations on campus and can provide occupants greater control as well. Additionally, insights into lighting system failures provided through a control system can address concerns that universities and colleges face regarding staff shortages.

Beyond operational benefits, colleges and universities can meet institutional missions with the help of lighting controls. Additionally, lighting controls can help higher education organizations create an optimal experience for students, faculty, and administrators. The optimal experience can be categorized into three key categories: efficiency, aesthetics, and usability. Lighting controls provide students, faculty, and staff with customizable lighting solutions based on their individual needs, which can work to increase the productivity of building occupants. Controls strategies that enhance the occupant and management experience by contributing to efficiency, aesthetics, and usability are poised for increased deployment. To better understand the various decision makers, perceptions of lighting controls, and benefits to the stakeholders on campus, register for Guidehouse Insights’ webinar on lighting controls in higher education on March 26, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Join me, Nolan Bello, Business Unit Manager of Audacy Wireless Lighting Controls, a Division of IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC., and Zuhair Mased, Director of Energy, Engineering & Sustainability at University of California, Merced, for an informative and in-depth discussion of these topics.