Impact of window blinds on daylight-linked dimming and automatic on/off lighting controls

Abstract

This paper presents the field-measured performance of two commercial photocontrolled lighting systems, continuous dimming and automatic on/off, as a function of various configurations of manual and photocontrolled automatic venetian blinds. The performance indicators considered were the space illumination and the electric lighting consumption as a function of blind slat angle and retraction area. The results showed that under clear sky and without blinds both lighting control systems reduced the lighting energy consumption on average by 50–60% when compared to lights fully on from 6 AM to 6 PM. These savings, however, dropped by 5–45% for the dimming system, and by 5–80% for the automatic on/off system with the introduction of various static window blind configurations. The savings in lighting energy were more significant when the lighting control systems were used with photocontrolled blinds. This was due to the capability of the blinds to adjust their position automatically in direct response to the variable daylight levels.