How to Increase Commercial Energy Efficiency with Outdoor Lighting Controls

The Energy Department estimates that property owners spend more than $6 billion per year to illuminate outdoor spaces like parking lots and garages. While that is a huge number, it’s also one that you can dramatically reduce by using energy-efficient, smart lighting fixtures. Adding outdoor lighting controls to your commercial or industrial space has the power to cut costs even further. And with efforts already underway to improve the efficiency and aesthetics of your indoor spaces, why not extend that effort (and savings) to the outdoors as well? Why is outdoor lighting important to your commercial or industrial space?

State-adopted energy regulations like the IECC Energy Code divide outdoor lighting into two different categories: general exterior lighting like parking lots, and perimeter lighting like decorative facades or landscaping. Using the Daintree Outdoor Node, you can add your exterior LED lights to the same networked platform as your suite of interior fixtures to create a powerful and code complaint system of WiFi-controlled outdoor lighting environments.

• Captivate customers with stunning visuals: By leveraging energy-efficient lighting into the signage, decor, and ornamental landscaping that differentiates your building, you not only draw customer attention, but also save money in the long run.
• Adjust exterior lighting to meet changing workplace trends: Work-at-home mandates and modified retail hours have changed occupancy flow, creating new patterns through parking lots and walkways and making traditional schedules obsolete. Save on energy costs by adjusting exterior lighting to changing vehicle and foot traffic levels.
• Improve safety with better monitoring: Receive near-real-time alerts on the status of your lighting to meet strict safety standards. When a light goes out over an ATM or a section of a parking lot goes dark, you’ll be able to deploy maintenance to the effected area quickly and efficiently.
• Manage your entire facility with ease: With the Daintree system, teams can monitor and control all aspects of a space—whether it’s a warehouse or other indoor location or the exterior—from a single platform. Access the information where and when you need it.

Beside these significant benefits, you can also realize dramatic energy savings (nearly 50%!) by adding outdoor lighting controls to your interconnected system of lighting, HVAC, fans, and more.

Top tips for selecting outdoor lighting controls for commercial and industrial buildings

Not all outdoor lighting controls are created equal. Here are the four considerations you should remember when optimizing the outdoor lighting system of your commercial or industrial facility.

Arm your team with powerful analytics

Operating on the Daintree Networked platform, the Daintree Outdoor WANSI Node empowers your building management team with usage trends. Armed with this detailed information, they can build an infallible energy-saving lighting schedule.

Choose light controls you can manage remotely

Not all lighting decisions are made on-site, and there may be times when your team needs to troubleshoot issues from multiple locations. As employees continue to work from home offices and kitchen counters, your team needs the ability to monitor and control external building lights from afar.

Opt for a design that works for your environment

A durable design defends against rain, snow, and frost to make sure you have control, no matter what Mother Nature serves. You don’t have to change all of your outdoor lighting, either. As long as your existing lighting has a standard ANSI 5 or 7 pin connector, the Daintree Outdoor Node can be deployed.

Seek customizable options

Commercial properties are peppered with a variety of bustling spaces like garden areas that host dinner breaks and more secluded areas like loading zones. Outdoor controls like the Daintree Outdoor Node can divide areas into groups so you can tailor the lighting experience based on the intended use of a space. The intuitive interface also makes it easy to reprogram light levels to accommodate special events.

While many facilities focus on their interior lights, exterior lighting guzzles a significant percentage of a building’s electricity spend. Using the Daintree Outdoor Node, you can take control of your power spend and dramatically reduce your entire facility’s energy footprint.