Welcome to NEMA Academy!

In this webinar, presenters will discuss the challenges with configuration, commissioning, and maintaining control settings over time have slowed progress towards integrated lighting and building system controls. Overcoming such challenges can enable energy savings, adaptive lighting for occupant alertness and wellbeing, and better space management in buildings. This webinar will explore some practical solutions to address controls complexity, including development of a clear and concise sequence of operations, the use of controls narratives, and online tools and templates to make these solutions more accessible. Read more

A good lighting design is incomplete without a good controls design. Lighting controls determine when the lights turn On, when they turn Off, how bright they are, which luminaires respond, the response to daylight or occupancy, and how occupants interact with the lighting in the space. Controls may be simple or highly sophisticated, but every control system can be defined by the same fundamentals: inputs, outputs, programming, communication, and sequence of operation. This course is written for those who already have a working knowledge of lighting and now need a foundation in lighting controls. Fundamental lighting controls concepts are introduced, such as inputs, outputs, and basic controls operations, followed by more sophisticated concepts such as. common control strategies, zoning, system architecture, communication methods, documentation, startup, and evaluation of manufacturer solutions. Lighting controls may be as simple as a wall switch or as advanced as a networked system that supports scheduling, occupancy sensing, daylight response, color tuning, demand response, data generation, and integration with other building systems. In all cases, however, the system receives information, makes decisions, and adjusts lighting output accordingly. Read more

Occupancy (aka, occupant) sensors monitor spaces to determine whether they are occupied or vacant, producing a control signal that can be used to automatically switch or dim lighting. By ensuring lighting operates only when it is needed, occupancy sensors produce energy cost savings in addition to benefits such as convenience and enhanced security. According to the Open Access journal Sensors, occupancy-based lighting controls can reduce lighting energy consumption in commercial buildings by up to 45% (Chaudhari et al., 2024). Because these devices are relatively simple to install, cost-effective, and widely required by energy codes, occupancy sensing is a staple in new construction projects, renovations, and many lighting upgrades. Read more

This learning module describes common panel-based lighting control systems. Read more

This learning module describes popular dimming strategies and how different light sources behave when dimmed. Read more

This learning module describes dimming controls and systems, starting with simple wallbox dimmers and working up to more complex systems. Read more