Improving lighting energy efficiency through user response

Technological advances have increased the energy performance of integrated daylighting and lighting systems to unprecedented levels. The shift to LED technologies, innovative shadings, and advanced lighting and shading controls promises a dramatic reduction in energy use for lighting. Work will continue to save more energy with technological solutions, but additional savings can be attained by understanding the complexity of human behaviour and by designing systems in such a way that they can accommodate energy-saving behaviour. This article reviews behaviour aimed at saving energy used for lighting. Four categories of behaviour are identified, concerning extent and speed of dimming, heuristics, design of the interface, and information/feedback strategies. The review suggests that lighting use can be halved by introducing simple strategies to existing and future systems, but the energy saving potential comes with low ecological validity. A multidisciplinary approach is required to increase the robustness of findings.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

Technological advances have greatly improved the energy performance of integrated daylighting and lighting systems, and the adoption of LED technologies and advanced controls can significantly reduce energy consumption for lighting. In addition to technological solutions, understanding human behavior and designing systems to accommodate energy-saving behavior can further enhance energy savings.