P4. Extending BACnet for Lighting Control and Interfacing Building Systems with Utilities > Conclusions

Although the standards making process takes a long time because it is a consensus process, the integration of lighting controls and utility meters into the BACnet standard will promote energy conservation by giving building operators the opportunity to work on a single controls platform.

The international involvement in the committee's activity makes it likely that the end products will become an international standard. The involvement of building automation system manufacturers and utility representatives makes it likely that the changes will be implemented in commercial products.

The Commission should support continued work on expanding the scope of BACnet to include lighting controls and utility meter interfacing. As an open standard, BACnet can be used by specifying engineers, lighting vendors, controls manufacturers and utility meter manufacturers. to promote integration of building automation controls.

Based on new data regarding the characteristics of California building stock and statewide energy use, the projected benefits of this project are updated as follows:

Indoor and outdoor lighting was 39% (35,886 of 91,771 GWh) of annual electricity use in California in Year 2000.

Assuming that improved lighting controls will reduce consumption by 10%, and that improved controls can be made available to 25% of the building stock, annual savings would be 896 GWh. Average demand savings would be 102 MW.

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