IES LP-6-20

Lighting controls are an essential component of any lighting system, serving multiple purposes and ranging from simple user-activated switches to advanced scene controllers, automatic sensor-controlled systems, and networked digital control systems. They are used to tailor the quantity and spectrum of the light to space functions, tasks, and user preferences while enhancing comfort, performance, aesthetic appeal, and energy savings. These functions support visual needs by allowing users to design for appropriate illuminance and color characteristics, thus enabling mood setting and/or task-illuminance tuning to achieve optimal viewing and working conditions. This approach allows the lighting to become responsive to the users’ needs within each space, resulting in a higher level of user satisfaction, increased safety and security, greater energy savings and, potentially, a healthier environment. This document is intended to help designers, users, commissioning providers, and other interested parties understand fundamental characteristics and purposes of lighting control systems. These may include design considerations, energy-saving strategies, equipment, and the variety of organizing protocols and methods in common usage.