
Commercial lighting uses about 4.0 quads of primary energy annually – more than 20% of total commercial building energy use in the United States. Lighting represents a large end-use of electricity and is often targeted for energy savings through energy-efficient lighting and control systems. Through the Lighting Systems Technology Research Team, partners work together to reduce lighting energy use by sharing insights and experiences related to emerging lighting and control systems and documenting the application of solutions. By developing resources like lighting specifications and application guidance, the Team helps build confidence and demand for higher efficiency technology.
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Improve your building’s energy and performance by adopting advanced lighting, including lighting that is integrated with other building systems. Join the Campaign to get expert support and technical assistance and earn DOE recognition.
Find resources to help facility owners and managers take advantage of savings opportunities from high-efficiency interior lighting solutions.
Featured Solutions

The objective of this resource is to assist decision-makers in understanding how networked lighting control system attributes can satisfy project objectives at an appropriate cost and functionality.

This evaluation project provides data and information that can help those responsible for energy use and savings at commercial facilities determine the effectiveness of advanced control, LED-based lighting system retrofits.

The latest high-efficiency alternatives with energy-saving controls—including light-emitting diode (LED), induction, and fluorescent technology options—can save building owners over 40% on their parking lot lighting bills.

This interactive 2020 Summit workshop provided an in-depth look at how leading-edge lighting systems are capable of communicating with other building systems to enable additional energy-saving opportunities while collecting valuable insights about a business’s operations.
This fact sheet focuses on the cyber threats unique to lighting control systems in buildings, and helps facility managers identify the types of lighting control systems that may introduce cyber security risks.

This document provides guidance for retrofitting existing fluorescent troffer fixtures with LEDs, as well as information about lighting controls. Learn the pros and cons of three different retrofit options: Tubular LEDs, Retrofit Kits, and Luminaires.

This document summarizes the energy and cost-savings benefits of wireless lighting sensors, provides an overview of where and how they can be used in buildings, and recommends best practices for different room types.

This fact sheet provides guidance on the various factors to consider when deciding on an LED upgrade for a fluorescent system.

Join the Better Buildings Lighting Systems Technology Research Team as they share insights on germicidal ultraviolet radiation and its impact on both energy use and airborne pathogens.
Other Resources
Case Study
This case study covers the potential for deeper energy savings and occupant comfort through the integration of lighting controls and automated shading. Research conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) found annual energy savings of up to 30%.
This case study by LBNL explains the energy and cost savings potential of task/ambient lighting systems when integrated with plug load occupancy controls.
This case study by LBNL explains the energy and cost savings potential of workstation-specific lighting with daylight dimming controls.
The James Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C. – headquarters for the U.S. Department of Energy – implemented a lighting upgrade project through an energy savings performance contract (ESPC), curbing lighting energy use by about 50% and saving nearly $258,000 per year.
This case study covers how CentraCare upgraded their Becker, MN site by utilizing a packaged solution for a lighting retrofit, including site survey, design, system selection, and financial assistance with materials and labor.
This case study highlights how Hennepin County, MN partnered with Slipstream to integrate light-emitting diode (LED) lighting with luminaire-level lighting controls (LLLCs), automatic receptacle (plug load) controls, and HVAC controls on one floor of a multistory building,
This case study details the field validation of a lighting retrofit with HVAC Integration and Plug Load Controls at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) building.
This case study details the field validation of a lighting retrofit with HVAC integration and plug load controls at City of St. Paul Streets Maintenance Division building.
This case study details the field validation of a lighting retrofit with HVAC integration and plug load controls at the University of Minnesota Jones Hall building.
Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides federal facility managers with an overview of the energy savings potential of wireless lighting occupancy sensors for room types, cost, installation of wireless sensors, light source, and codes and standards.
This fact sheet summarizes key components of the Better Buildings High Efficiency Troffer Lighting Specification and how to apply it to save energy and money by upgrading to high- efficiency LED technology.
This fact sheet provides technical information on initial costs, operating costs, current light levels, and dimming requirements to consider when deciding on an LED upgrade for a fluorescent troffer system.
Retrofitting fluorescent troffers with LED sources can lead to project-level savings between 20% and 60%. To achieve these savings while maintaining high-quality lighting, facility managers need to consider a number of factors — this fact sheet provides retrofitting guidance, including the LED and control options available, the benefits and disadvantages of each option, and agency-specific requirements.
Report
Interior Lighting Campaign (ILC) participants have replaced more than 3.5 million lighting systems saving roughly 800 million kWh of electricity annually and $85 million in energy costs. This report summarizes 4 years of results and lessons learned after reviewing more than 3,500 retrofit projects submitted through the ILC.
This report from PNNL summarizes research into industry and customer needs around the adoption of IoT technologies and lays out the barriers and best practices that need to be addressed to move forward.
The full report and report summary focuses on an evaluation of a set of advanced lighting control systems and their potential application to U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) facilities.
Toolkits
The latest high-efficiency alternatives with energy-saving controls—including light-emitting diode (LED), induction, and fluorescent technology options—can save building owners over 40% on their parking lot lighting bills.
This toolkit collects resources from the Interior Lighting Campaign to help facility owners and managers take advantage of savings opportunities from high-efficiency interior lighting solutions.
Webinar
Researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory evaluated five different LED systems with ALC at a test-bed site in Fort Worth, Texas, and provided an analysis of the added savings and costs of the controls as well as guidance on where ALC with LED can be best deployed.
This interactive 2020 Summit workshop provided an in-depth look at how leading-edge lighting systems are capable of communicating with other building systems to enable additional energy-saving opportunities while collecting valuable insights about a business’s operations.
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DOE's Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Program
The U.S. Department of Energy's Solid-State Lighting Program supports research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities related to advanced indoor and outdoor SSL technologies. Specific resources include:- Solid-State Lighting Basics
- Lighting for Health
- CALiPER Summary Reports
- Tools
- Solid-State Lighting Webcasts
DesignLights Consortium: Networked Lighting Controls Qualified Products List
This qualified product list provides a resource to the lighting market and energy efficiency programs to understand, evaluate, and compare Networked Lighting Control Systems. The list also identifies systems eligible for new financial incentives and rebates from utilities and energy efficiency programs across North America.DesignLights Consortium: Lighting Controls Case Studies
In partnership with DOE and DLC Member utilities, the DLC completed several demonstration projects of various networked lighting control technologies. The technologies were selected via an RFQ process in 2015. These projects provide data and experience using new networked lighting controls. The results, experience, and lessons learned are presented in this series of case studies.
Contacts

Michael Myer, Senior Lighting Research Scientist with the Energy Policy and Economics Group, has been with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for 12 years. Prior to joining PNNL, he worked as an architectural lighting designer in New York. Michael became an architectural lighting designer after completing his M.S. in Lighting at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his B.A. in Theatre at Arizona State University. Since joining PNNL, he has worked on a wide-ranging number of lighting projects. Michael splits his time across a variety of programs, including Building Energy Codes and Federal Appliance Standards, Commercial Building Integration, and Advanced Lighting/Solid-State Lighting. These programs provide him with a cross-cutting point of view where he can borrow and share across the programs. Michael has been involved in many field evaluations and demonstrations.