Understanding how advanced lighting controls can save energy
Multiple field demonstrations have shown that advanced lighting controls could result in nearly 70% lighting energy savings. Unfortunately, there is an industry-wide knowledge gap about how to use advanced controls to capitalize on energy savings and ensure buildings run at peak performance.
Slipstream was awarded a grant by the Department of Defense (DoD) Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) to develop a comprehensive training resource on advanced lighting controls. Slipstream has partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NextEnergy, Fraunhofer USA, Trane, and bluEvolution on this work.
As a result of this project, our team created a set of free training resources on advanced lighting controls. Along with short, 15-minute videos for DoD installation managers, we adapted the material into a set of longer, in-depth courses intended for DoD lighting designers and contractors—and available for free to anyone online.
Why advanced lighting controls?
The ESTCP program initiates technology demonstration pilots across the DoD portfolio to identify the most promising innovative and cost-effective solutions to validate improved energy performance and cost savings.
Based on several demonstrations at DoD military installations, researchers identified a significant lack of understanding and how to utilize advanced lighting controls among DoD facility managers and operators. Considering the DoD spends billions of dollars per year on energy costs, it is critical for energy managers, building operators and engineers to learn controls concepts and strategies that can help increase energy efficiency across the DoD's hundreds of thousands of facilities.
About the training program
The training program is designed to help users learn the fundamentals of lighting control systems. Topics cover advanced control strategies such as task tuning, daylighting, and occupancy sensing. The program also covers measures such as integrating HVAC with lighting controls, addressing cybersecurity issues posed by advanced lighting, and making use of the data and resources available through the nonprofit DesignLights Consortium.
For DoD installation managers
Many federal and non-federal installation managers need to balance multiple priorities and have extremely limited time for continuous education and training. Using DoD advanced controls demonstration projects as real-world examples, this series of 15-minute videos gives installation managers a better understanding of key concepts and cost benefits.
See a YouTube playlist with these videos here.
For lighting designers and contractors
For professionals who design and commission lighting for new buildings, as well as those who manage daily operations of existing buildings, we developed in-depth topics that are more closely related to the main job functions that are relevant to the concepts covered by these trainings.
These courses were intended for DoD lighting designers and contractors, energy service companies (ESCOs), and utility energy service contractors (UESCs). However, anyone interested in learning more about advanced lighting controls is welcome to view the courses.
Each course is about one hour long and presented by an industry expert.
These topics are intended to be a deeper dive into the topics of advanced lighting control strategies. This will help lighting designers and contractors better design, specify, and operate lighting control systems. Continuing education credits such as professional development hours (PDH) for licensed engineers are offered for each of these recorded sessions. Credits through the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) can be self-reported, if applicable.
Each course is presented by an industry expert.
Topics covered
Both tracks cover the material over six modules:
- Case Studies of Advanced Lighting Controls
- Fundamentals of Lighting Control Systems
- Common Advanced Control Strategies
- Types of Controls (fixture integrated, room based, networked)
- Introduction to DesignLights Consortium
- Cybersecurity
How to view the series
The education materials are available at no cost to DoD and non-DoD building practitioners and stakeholders on Slipstream's free Learning Management System (LMS), Coassemble. If you don't already have a Coassemble account, we invite you to sign up for the system to access the ESTCP training workspace and launch the full catalog at your convenience.