Overview Lighting controls that are available today have been demonstrated to save significant electrical energy in commercial buildings. However, the success rate has not been uniform for different types of control products. Previous studies demonstrated that occupancy sensors achieved significant and persistent energy savings at well-monitored building sites, but advanced control strategies that require a systems approach, such as daylighting and load shedding, were less successful. The U.S. lighting controls market is largely composed of manufacturers of components (ballasts, switches, and controls) rather than systems. As a result, lighting control components often do not work well together when specified as systems, especially for dimming applications. Thus, lighting controls for complex strategies such as daylighting have proven difficult to commission in the field, which has resulted in poor operation as well as user complaints. Failure to involve building occupants in the commissioning process is also thought to result in low occupant acceptance of advanced lighting control strategies. Similar difficulties have dogged implementation of advanced shading systems for controlling solar heat gain through building windows.

Technical Highlights

Lighting control and envelope systems are produced by different manufacturers and do not communicate with one another. As a result, these systems do not work well together and cannot be commissioned or optimized for significant energy savings or improved occupant comfort. Despite the promise of the Building Automation Control Network (BACnet), building energy management systems (EMSs) cannot easily exchange data with lighting and envelope systems or communicate effectively with these loads.

To address the above market shortcomings, the overall technical goal of this program element is to develop an integrated building equipment communications system (IBECS) network that will allow appropriate automation of lighting and envelope systems to increase energy efficiency, improve building performance, and enhance occupants' experience of the space. This network will provide a low-cost means for occupants to control local lighting and window systems, thereby improving occupant comfort, satisfaction, and performance. A related goal of this program element is to improve existing lighting control components and accelerate development of new technologies that will allow daylighting to be more extensively applied to a larger proportion of building floor space.

IBECS network architecture configured to operate legacy zero- to 10-volt direct current (VDC) analog ballasts and light switches and to read connected sensors and meters. We imagine a future where the network interfaces would be built into building equipment products and "IBECS-ready" ballasts, and switches would incorporate a network jack (similar to Ethernet). Providing network connectivity to lighting and other building equipment will completely change how building energy systems are commissioned, operated, and maintained.

• IBECS: Integrated Building Environmental Communications System (600 KB, 2 pp)

The objective of this project is to design, build, and test the IBECS interface and networking system between controllable lighting devices that will enable local and system-wide energy-efficient operations of various lighting systems and components.

To test these devices in a realistic field environment, we are currently developing a fully configured IBECS network to be installed in Building 90-3111 at Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The refined ballast network interfaces have been installed in seven offices and network cabling has also been installed. The demonstration network will employ a full range of IBECS-compatible technologies for lighting, automated blind systems, sensors, and power measurement as developed under the California Energy Commission (CEC) Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) work. Occupants will be able to control overhead lights and motorized blinds using the internet. Outside parties will be able to observe system performance in real time using a secure web link. The IBECS systems will provide a full range of efficiency and comfort control and enable load-management and demand-response functions.

Tasks:

The objective of this task is to determine the operational requirements for controlling and obtaining feedback from at least two different manufacturers' controllable electronic ballasts and to develop IBECS network interfaces for these ballasts.

The objective of this task is to design and fabricate an IBECS-ready wall switch. This switch would fit in a standard wall box, provide bi-level switch control (Title 24 compliant) and would be controllable (addressable) via IBECS.

The objective of this task is to create an IBECS-ready sensor capable of detecting ambient light, occupancy and temperature.

The objective of this subtask is to demonstrate the benefits of installing sub-meters at the branch circuit level for purposes of monitoring, verification and building code compliance, using inexpensive IBECS-ready meters.

The objectives for the daylighting research are to develop and test a cost-effective whole-building interface and networking system between light sensors and building envelope systems, especially motorized blinds, louvers and the variable transmittance electrochromic windows.

Tasks:

Our objective is to evaluate the energy savings possible with new materials and in particular to support the DOE Electrochromics Initiative to determine the energy-efficiency and qualitative benefits of large-area electrochromic (EC) windows in full-scale realistic commercial building applications.

The objective of this task is to design and fabricate an IBECS-ready electrochromic window system.

The objective of this task is to design and fabricate an IBECS-ready automated Venetian blind system.

Network operations research includes work on using common interfaces for building-wide integration of major building subsystems: lighting; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) controls; and envelope.

Tasks:

The objective of this task is to test the utility of IBECS for implementing load shedding and other advanced lighting control techniques.

Contact: Francis Rubinstein, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), (510) 486-4096