On the Calibration and Commissioning of Lighting Controls

Lighting controls have the potential to capture significant energy savings in commercial buildings if properly specified, installed, commissioned and maintained. Proper commissioning is often absent in lighting projects and the lack of commissioning can significantly reduce a projects energy savings potential. The paper focuses on the importance of good commissioning practice for obtaining satisfactory performance from lighting control systems and discusses the difficulties of commissioning todays systems. Some practical suggestions for commissioning lighting controls is offered as well as advice to specifiers and early adopters to aid them in selecting controls that are most appropriate to their requirements.