Objective
The goal of this project is to design, develop and prototype portable energy-efficient office luminaires that integrate occupancy-based controls to provide users a higher level of control and visual quality than they currently receive from traditional overhead lighting systems. This system is intended to be flexible enough to be suitable for the varied demands of a broad cross-section of office lighting applications.
This new system will have widespread potential application in many office environments. The benefits derived from the improved design include better work environments and increased energy savings. The new system may also improve health and safety of building occupants by reducing glare on VDTs. This screen glare can be measured as luminance from the computer screen surface.
Approach
On a technical level, this project requires the development of light distribution systems that integrate user controls with high-efficiency luminaires that provide for both task and ambient lighting needs. The specific approach taken in this project is as follows:
- “Berkeley Lamp II”: Research and development of a prototype, next-generation Berkeley Lamp that integrates an occupancy sensor into a floor-based model.
- Workstation Level Solutions: Research and development of novel portable luminaires designed to provide for all of the task and ambient lighting needs of a cubicle or workstation in a manner than enhances energy efficiency and visual quality.
- Office-Level Solutions: Integration and controls strategies for the luminaires developed for the workstation level (above) that yields maximum energy savings while providing an appropriate overall office lighting environment.
- Building-Level Concepts: Investigation of broader building-wide systems/strategies that can build on the workstation and office-level solutions in order to achieve further energy savings and control.
Accomplishments
- A Berkeley Lab II prototype has been successfully developed (see development report).
- The luminaire concepts are being developed and refined. We are working on the integration of controls into the luminaires.
Publications
Currently, the following reports are available for this project:
- BLII Report (285 KB) - This report presents the results of the research and development of the next generation Berkeley Lamp II. It also provides an overview of the performance of the prototype in the laboratory and in the field.
Contact Information
For more information on this project, please send an email to:
lighting@lbl.gov
Sponsor Information
This project is sponsored by the California Energy Commission. For more information, please see the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) website.
This project is being completed in collaboration with Finelite, Inc. and the California Lighting Technology Center.
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