NLC Wall Station User Experience Survey & Findings

For the past five years, nearly every major lighting manufacturer has launched a Networked Lighting Control system (NLC). NLC lighting systems consist of addressable luminaires and controls devices, and allow for application of multiple control strategies, programmability, zoning, rezoning, and more. NLC systems are proliferating in the new construction and major renovation markets but failing to gain traction in the existing buildings, retrofit, or tenant improvement (T/I) markets.

Correspondingly, utility programs across the country recognize that NLC systems offer significant savings opportunities and many provide incentives to support market uptake via their commercial & industrial existing building lighting programs. Specific to the Pacific Northwest (PNW), many utilities have also invested in the development and delivery of education and publicly available tools and resources in order to drive market uptake.

Despite product availability, incentives from utilities, training, and a host of non-energy related benefits, NLC systems are not being adopted and installed in the existing buildings as expected. This is primarily reported from existing building utility lighting programs across the PNW.