Determining Optimum Sector Size for Automatic Lighting Controls

摘要

Automatic lighting controls can significantly reduce operating costs in commercial buildings. However, the design of these dynamically operated lighting systems has not kept pace with advancements in equipment. This paper focuses on determining how many lights should be grouped into sectors and controlled as a unit in order to minimize the life-cycle cost of an automatically controlled lighting system. The analysis is based on occupant behavior patterns, the cost of the lighting controls, the energy costs, and a decision criterion based on life-cycle cost. (ERA citation 11:009094)