Occupancy control for indoor lighting

What is occupancy control of indoor lighting?

Occupancy control of indoor lighting is a smart-ready service within the Lighting domain. It concerns the way lights in a room turn on and off depending on whether people are present.

This service is part of the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), a methodology that assesses buildings on their ability to respond intelligently to users, energy grids, and maintenance. The service belongs to the service set of method A, the shorter list covering fourteen of the nine domains.

What levels are there?

The SRI defines four functionality levels for this service, from simple to advanced.

• Level 0: Manual on/off switch. A user operates the light manually, without any automation.
• Level 1: Manual on/off switch with supplementary general shutdown signal. A central signal is added that can switch off the lights, for example at closing time.
• Level 2: Automatic detection. A sensor automatically switches the light on or dims it, or automatically switches it off.
• Level 3: Automatic detection with manual on/dimmed or automatic off. The light turns off automatically when no one is present, but the user decides when to turn it back on.

Higher levels reduce unnecessary energy consumption, as lights do not remain on in empty spaces.

Why does this service count toward the SRI?

The SRI assesses each smart-ready service against seven impact criteria, including energy efficiency and comfort. Occupancy control scores particularly on energy savings and user convenience, as users do not need to think about switching lights on and off.

The score for this service counts toward the building's overall SRI score, together with the other forty-eight services from method B or the shorter list from method A. That total score, expressed as a percentage, determines which of the seven classes a building falls into.