When paired with well-designed and integrated components, LED lighting systems are fully compatible with common lighting control strategies such as dimming, scheduling, occupancy sensing and daylight harvesting.

 

To successfully control dimming of a LED lighting system, it is crucial that all system components are optimized to work together.  Four primary components are included: an LED housing or luminaire, a LED light source, a driver, and a control such as a wall switch with dimmer. To facilitate retrofit of LED lighting, some lamps combine the LED light source and a driver into a single component and can replace standard incandescent or screw in CFL bulbs.  Not all LED retrofit lamps are dimmable, so it is important to choose those that meet performance expectations and specifications of the lighting control system and the application.

 

Drivers are available in both constant-current and constant-voltage, and it is important to know which one to specify as the type affects controllability.  Constant –voltage drivers are typically used in applications such as cove lighting where all luminaires on the driver would dim together. Constant-current drivers are used when a fixture requires individual power and control. A typical example would be recessed ceiling luminaires.

 

As a manufacturer of LED luminaires, lamps, and control systems, Acuity Brands offers complete solutions that capitalize on the use of LED lighting while incorporating dimming into the control strategy. These systems meet application and performance requirements in educational, industrial, healthcare facilities, as well as outdoor lighting applications.

 

One such product is the RTLED from Lithonia Lighting. This “smart” luminaire is embedded with nLight™ technology, which offers distributed control over the lighting system. This system achieves energy savings on day one, via a unique lumen maintenance compensation system. Whether in stand-alone or networked configuration, RTLED is an intelligent luminaire, right out of the box. Smooth continuous dimming (100% to 3% range) is included in each fixture. The embedded nLight logic underdrives the luminaire to deliver constant lumen output over system life while harvesting maximum energy savings.