Using a combination of high-efficiency LEDs, various occupancy, daylight, and temperature/humidity sensors, and control units for collecting and analyzing sensor data, smart lighting systems offer several benefits for occupants and commercial building owners. However, the evolution of smart lighting has taken several steps forward that make this technology increasingly appealing.
Let’s look at the evolution of smart lighting and how building owners and operators can create these beneficial scenarios within their own buildings.
Smart Lighting Is Getting Smarter
Smart lighting systems were first introduced in the early 2000s. At that time, the focus was on the use of basic timers or motion sensors that were centrally controlled to provide lighting only when needed. However, these systems had little to no integration capability with building management systems (BMS) and thus had no ability to access other building-wide data that could enhance efficiencies or create occupant quality-of-life improvements.
Over the years, smart lighting evolutions and protocols improved with the ability to communicate with other smart building technologies and more advanced sensors. This allowed for the real-time analysis of a wide range of datasets to create more personalized lighting experiences and to integrate safety and security procedures when combined with advanced sensors, surveillance cameras, and alarm systems.
The most recent generation of smart lighting systems focuses on delivering what’s known as human-centric lighting (HCL). This lighting approach helps mimic natural light patterns inside buildings that are thought to be beneficial to occupant health.
Examples of what HCL can deliver from an occupant quality-of-life perspective include:
- A reduction of eye strain
- Increased cognitive function
- Decreased effects of seasonal affective disorders (SADs)
- Improved circadian rhythm for better rest at night
Better Decision-making Through Integration, Data Collection, and Analysis
Beyond advancements in LED technologies that offer significantly improved color temperature adjustments, there are several advancements in smart lighting systems that help achieve greater efficiencies and enhance the well-being of occupants. One example is to improve occupant safety by creating integrations with security cameras and external security sensors. When these physical security technologies detect unusual behavior, they can trigger lighting to deter potential intruders while also notifying occupants through lighting effects.
Another advancement of smart lighting is the use of AI and machine learning to make predictive lighting adjustments in real time based on the analysis of a range of data, such as baselined user behavior and weather forecasts.
Because modern smart lighting systems rely on a number of external data sources and data collected from various IoT sensors, network connectivity becomes a critical part of the overall technology. Advancements have also been made here to allow for the use of high-capacity Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), power line communication (PLC) for wired communications, and Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and LoRaWAN for wireless communications across a wide range of deployment use-cases. Because these communications protocols are built on open standards as opposed to proprietary standards (as was the case in the past), it makes smart lighting far more modular by design, allowing for certain components to be upgraded easily with improved interoperability.
Smart Lighting Is Only Getting Better
Smart lighting solutions have come a long way, whether you are designing a brand-new commercial building or are overdue for a lighting replacement or retrofit of an existing property. The cost of deploying and managing these systems has dramatically decreased over the years and offers a range of energy efficiency and life safety improvements that are hard to ignore. In regions where regulations have strict energy codes, like California and the New York and Seattle city districts, smart lighting has become a must-have. But even buildings outside these areas can benefit from reduced energy spend and safety/health benefits that your occupants will soon demand.
Facilities managers should prioritize the adoption of smart lighting solutions in commercial buildings due to the significant benefits they offer in terms of energy efficiency, occupant well-being, and enhanced safety. With the decreasing costs and growing demand for sustainable, efficient, and health-focused environments, smart lighting is a valuable investment for modern facilities management.
