Adjusting lighting levels in commercial buildings: energy savings from institutional tuning

Task tuning is one form of lighting control that can be used in commercial buildings to save energy. It involves dimming lights in a space so that the average illuminance at the working plane is appropriate for the type of use in that space.

Task tuning has the potential to save energy without decreasing occupant satisfaction because most commercial spaces, for a variety of reasons, are over lit. With more widespread adoption of dimmable ballasts and LED lighting there are more opportunities to apply this relatively simple-to-implement efficiency measure.

The goal of this study was to quantify the magnitude of energy savings from task tuning by field monitoring commercial lighting systems in Minnesota, as well as document best practices and lessons learned along the way.