CLTC is excited to share the findings of a new study on Residential Energy & Automation (REA) Systems, showcasing how this innovative technology can help homeowners save energy and cut costs through the use of intelligent energy management. REA systems integrate technologies like solar panels, battery storage, and electric vehicles into smart, automated networks that optimize energy use—helping lower utility bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Advanced Lighting Control System (ALCS) Bench Testing Phase II aims to revisit and refine the technology validation program developed in Phase I. The goal of this study is to assess whether current commercially-available ALCS can accurately report connected load energy use consistent with current utility requirements, such as revenue-grade labeling.

Advanced Lighting Control Systems (ALCS) Bench Testing – Plug Load Controls aims to revisit and refine the technology validation program developed in Phase I. ALCS Bench Testing - Plug Load Controls focuses on the plug load specific additions that are available with select ALCS and evaluates whether these advanced plug loads controllers (APLC) can accurately report the energy use of the connected plug loads consistent with utility requirements/needs.

The California Lighting Technology Center, in collaboration with the California Energy Commission, conducted research to refine and deploy technology strategies that integrate and optimize automated controls for heating, ventilating and air conditioning, electric lighting, and dynamic fenestration (window and door) systems. Project objectives were:

1. Refine and publish an integrated building control system specification for commercial applications including necessary hardware and software components.

The California Lighting Technology Center is excited to kick off research into today's Residential Energy & Automation (REA) Systems in collaboration with California's statewide electric emerging technologies program, CalNEXT.

REA systems combine home-energy monitoring features with automated appliance management and control of distributed energy resources (DER) such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers, rooftop solar panels, and stationary battery energy storage (BES).

CLTC recently partnered with the California Energy Commission, Sonoma Clean Power Authority, and Frontier Energy Inc. to evaluate opportunities in emerging daylighting technologies. One such technology is a solar-tracking lighting system, which delivers daylight via optical fibers to core building areas that otherwise do not have access to daylight.

Networked lighting control (NLC) systems have proven they can successfully reduce demand and save energy in real-world applications through a combination of basic and advanced control strategies. However, the potential of NLCs’ integral metering and reporting capabilities to provide cost effective energy-use data for incentive programs and outcome-based code opportunities has not been fully realized. This is, in part, due to the variety of metering and reporting approaches used by today’s NLCs.

Today, adaptive lighting, which is lighting controlled by occupancy sensors or schedules that adjust light levels based on actual site conditions, is considered best practice for numerous outdoor applications. Adaptive lighting has been adopted as part of some commercial energy standards and the strategy is now included in many outdoor lighting specifications and design guides. Outdoor areas with heightened security requirements, however, are often excluded from adaptive lighting control requirements and these areas remain lit with high, uniform levels of static illumination.

Outcome-based energy codes are relatively new. They incorporate strategies that quantify a building’s actual energy performance over time to demonstrate code compliance. The term "outcome-based" refers to the fact that compliance is linked with a building’s actual energy “outcome” which may be measured post-occupancy.

Historically, power distribution has been dominated by Alternating-Current (AC) which significantly influenced the design of connected energy-consuming appliances.  With the emergence of electronics and digital controls as standard design elements in almost all appliance categories, the need for Direct-Current (DC) has emerged, even as it opposes traditional distribution practices.  This issue is typically resolved at the appliance level with AC-to-DC converters.