R&D

The primary objective of this study is to quantify the energy use in private offices that are equipped with bi-level switching and occupant controls. The baseline comparison is made to a theoretical case where the occupant has no control over their lighting and it is switched on and off solely by an occupancy sensor. In addition, this study looks closely at the possibilities for combining automatic and manual control to achieve the greatest energy savings and user satisfaction.

Lighting accounts for approximately 25 percent of California’s energy use, making energy-efficient lighting technologies a vital part of the state’s strategy for meeting its legislated climate goals. The Lighting Action Plan details the lighting portion of the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, a comprehensive roadmap outlining solutions for reducing California’s energy consumption.

This project examined energy end-uses in the residential, commercial, and in some cases the industrial sectors. The analysis attempts to consolidate, in one document, the energy savings potential and design characteristics of best-on-market products, best-engineered products, and emerging technologies in research & development. 

This demonstration project consists of a one-to-one retrofit of existing fluorescent luminaires with either new fixtures or new components for three corridor areas in Bainer Hall. This project is intended to demonstrate the energy savings that can be achieved by using occupancy-based controls for interior corridor applications.